Global warming and vulnerability to food insecurity in Mozambique: Local adaptation will matter

Policy brief Sustainable Growth

This policy brief presents findings from a study of climate-related food insecurity in Mozambique, using 2012 data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

  • This policy brief presents findings from a study of climate-related food insecurity in Mozambique, using 2012 data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
  • More than half of the Mozambican households surveyed by the Inquerito Agricola Integrado 2012 (IAI2012) were food insecure, as revealed by an inadequate or poor diet.
  • Using machine learning methods, we characterise the heterogeneous relation between local environment, including weather (temperature and rainfall) in 2012, and food security.
  • We identify 11 clusters that reflect local environmental conditions, with temperature at the start of the main agricultural production season being the most important determinant of cluster membership.
  • The relation between food security and temperature is U-shaped.
  • Future research should explore the set of adaptation strategies that is feasible at the local level, given this existing relation.