In 2007, a severe drought in Lesotho and South Africa drastically reduced crop yields and increased food prices.
A recent study published in Scientific Reports shows that this was worsened due to climate change fuelled by human activity.
It has been estimated that climate change decreased the number of farming households in Lesotho that were self-sufficient by 50%.
Vulnerable areas prone to food insecurity need more adaptation strategies to protect them against the future effects of climate change, write three experts.
Findings indicate that climate change contributed to a decline in self-sufficient households in Lesotho by 50% and caused a decrease in the average household purchasing power by 37%.
As a result, the price of maize doubled in Lesotho, compared to 2005, making it unaffordable for many – 20% of the country’s population required emergency food assistance.
Large-scale droughts can have cascading impacts on all four pillars – droughts reduce yields, which may result in food price spikes and trigger changes in the amount and stability of food consumption.
In particular, it is the subsistence farmers with relatively small agricultural fields and large households that are pushed from a self-sufficient to an insufficient situation.
