Bread of the Future: Climate Change, Agriculture and Food in Latin America (El Pan Del Futuro: Cambio Climático, Agricultura Y Alimentación En América Latina)
Debates en Sociología (Lima, Peru), No. 34, pp. 117-176, 2011
64 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2011 Last revised: 7 May 2011
Date Written: 2011
Abstract
Does predicted global warming imply more hunger in the future of Latin America? Climate projections prepared by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are briefly presented, along with an analysis of existing estimates of their probable impact on agriculture and food security. Such impact estimates use two methods: Ricardian models and Integrated Assessment models. Some connected issues are also briefly discussed: sea level rise, Andean glacier melting, ENSO dynamics, and the probable implications for Andean peasants and other subsistence farmers in the region, as well as conceptual and methodological issues involved in the analysis. Non climate factors concurrently at play are also explored (demographic trends, agrarian changes, income growth and others). Unexpectedly enough, the resulting prospects for agriculture and food are not catastrophic.
Note: Downloadable document is in Spanish.
Keywords: climate change, environment, agriculture, food, food security, Latin America, Latin America and Caribbean
JEL Classification: D31, D63, I12, I31, I32, J11, J13, N3, N36, N50, N56, O13, O18, O40, O54, Q1, Q2, R14, R23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation