Food Security Under Climate Change

Some of the most profound and direct impacts of climate change over the next few decades will be on agricultural and food systems. On page 607 of this issue, Lobell et al. (1) show that increasing temperatures and declining precipitation over semiarid regions are likely to reduce yields for corn, wheat, rice, and other primary crops in the next two decades. These changes could have a substantial impact on global food security. Since the 1990s, rising commodity prices and declining per capita cultivated area have led to decreases in food production, eroding food security in many communities (2). Many regions that lack food security rely on local agricultural production to meet their food needs. Primarily…