CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITIES IN SOUTH ASIA: PROSPECTS OF WATER, AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY
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Abstract
South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. Climate change is a challenge for water availability and temperature which directly affect agriculture yields causing issues of food security in South Asia. The research study examines climate change effects such as a rise in temperature, glacial melt monsoon rainfall, floods and droughts on agriculture and food production in South Asia. The objective of the study is to observe the impacts of climate change on agriculture growth, food security, and water security in South Asian countries and to analyze how water shortage decreases agricultural growth products which can cause food security issues by adopting Green Theory.This research uses qualitative methods with a natural and descriptive approach and the emphasis is not on statistics but more on describing the actual and natural facts and events, and how the impacts can be minimized or avoided. The data is collected from literature by reviewing various information from reports of various UN agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results show that climate change has caused water scarcity in South Asia, directly related to the decrease in agricultural products and food insecurity.Furthermore, the study reveals that an increase in temperature has affected the production of major crops like wheat, maize and rice. Similarly, rainfall, floods andmonsoon negatively impact agriculture, causing food insecurity in South Asia. The decrease in agricultural growth is predicted to cause food security issues directly affecting human security. Therefore, adaptation policies are required for sustainable agricultural growth, water security and to reduce vulnerability to climate change.
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