Food security and agriculture

Forest fires exacerbate carbon emissions, threaten biodiversity and cause welfare losses to local populations. Most fires accidentally ignite from mismanaged swidden and pasture fires. This study provides evidence that fire risk in the Brazilian Amazon

Fires that burn the forest also hit crops and pastures. But farmers in the eastern Amazon are left with few good options.

Fires, combined with agricultural development, have reduced Mozambique’s forest cover by 11% from 2001 to 2018. Land rights could help battle the blazes.

Livestock clear forage that accelerates wildfires, and so can be used to reduce hazardous fuels from overstocked forests in California to lower fire risk.

The report specifically finds that investing $1.8 trillion globally in five areas from 2020 to 2030 could generate $7.1 trillion in total net benefits.

A new study finds that climate extremes, such as droughts or heat waves, can lead to harvest failures and consequently threaten the livelihoods of farmers and food security of communities worldwide. Improving our understanding of their impacts on crop yields is crucial to increase the resilience of the global food system.

Given that Australia’s high rates of forest loss and weakened land clearing laws are increasing bushfire risk, more than 300 scientists and practitioners have signed a declaration calling for governments to restore, or better strengthen, regulations to protect native vegetation. Better regulations will also help farmers by reducing environmental risks.