Synopsis
All aspects of food security are potentially affected by climate change, including food access, utilization and price stability. The Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon is ecologically diverse with low, middle and highland altitude production basins with different crops. In order to assess the impact of climate change on food security, climatic and food crop data were collected from stations across all ecological zones, where time series were established. Food crop data was complemented by household questionnaires on perceived crop changes with respect to climate change. Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) was employed to establish climate variability and change, with positive and negative anomalies. Results reveal declining rainfall (increasing RAI) and decreasing crop production trends, thereby necessitating aggressive policy options to address food security concerns. These climatic shocks and vulnerabilities could be addressed through climate smart agriculture, which is a framework for developing decision support systems at the farm and policy level. This chapter, therefore, highlights the need for adaptation to current natural resource management practices to enhance livelihoods in the face of climatic shocks.
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Tume, S.J.P. et al. (2020). Climate Change and Food Security in the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon. In: Squires, V., Gaur, M. (eds) Food Security and Land Use Change under Conditions of Climatic Variability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36762-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36762-6_6
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