Food and agriculture are significant contributors to, and heavily impacted by, climate change. Food systems also offer opportunities for mitigating greenhouse gases through emission reductions and carbon sequestration. While there is growing discussion and dialogue about climate change and agriculture, relatively little focus has been put on climate change and food systems, more broadly. Meridian Institute’s report, Climate Change & Food Systems: Assessing Impacts and Opportunities, offers a food systems perspective on climate change.
Please download the final report, and full references. The Authors identified mitigation opportunities and their adaptation potential related to a broad range of food system activities. Overview tables of such Opportunities are available here.
Objectives
In this Report, we analyze existing information and research – with a focus on peer-reviewed literature – about climate change impacts and opportunities regarding a broad range of food system activities.
Key Messages
Based on a review of the existing peer-reviewed literature on food systems and climate change, including mitigation opportunities and adaptation co-benefits, we identified the following key messages regarding climate change and food systems.
Principles
In order to support stakeholders in using a system approach for making choices about mitigation and adaptations interventions, we propose a set of Climate Change and Food Systems Principles.
Food Systems
Food Systems, Components, Processes, and Activities