Certain populations — for example, older adults, children, persons with disabilities or health challenges, people with low incomes, migrants and Indigenous peoples — are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including food insecurity. The disproportionate impacts are because of poverty, unemployment and low wages, limited ownership of assets, limited access to healthcare, and greater exposure to natural disasters. Severe weather conditions caused by climate change threaten food security, and not having a place to grow food can make it hard to achieve food security. People who experience these conditions are denied the opportunity to have sustainable livelihoods and face a food crisis and food injustice. Many people do not have access to healthy food because of discrimination; others do not have access to a variety of nutritious foods, especially if they live in areas affected by wars or natural disasters. A diverse diet consisting of a variety of culturally appropriate food is an essential aspect of food security.

Food justice is about making sure that no one goes hungry and that everyone has access to enough good food and drinks every day. It is also about the right to be involved in the decisions that affect our food system.

We can work together to help more people have food security. Watch the video Climate Change: The Philippines by Oxfam Australia for some examples of how to do this.

How to achieve food justice and food security

As individuals. we can achieve food justice by:

• buying local farm produce to reduce the transportation and refrigeration costs associated with importing foods
• eating less meat and dairy to reduce GHG emissions from large-scale livestock farming
• wasting less food
• buying fair trade products from small farmers who have been identified as producers who follow social, environmental and economic best practices

Activity

These actions will also help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

• How many of these actions can you take or adopt?
• How many of these actions can you convince your neighbours or other community members to take?
• Write your thoughts in your journal.

Here are some best practices to promote food justice and security:

• Support community food security initiatives that make healthy food more accessible to everyone — for example, food banks, community farming and food co-operatives.
• Advocate for food justice policies that make healthy food more affordable and support sustainable agriculture.
• Educate yourself about food justice by reading and watching documentaries about it and talking to people who are working to achieve it.
• Invest in food security programmes to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, healthy food, even in the face of climate change.

Watch the video Understanding Global Food Security and Nutrition by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). It explains that although there is enough food to feed the world, some people have less access than others to food. Challenges relating to making food accessible, affordable and usable for everyone lead to hunger. The video highlights some actions that governments can take to promote food security — in particular, it notes that supporting local farmers (especially women) with access to fertile land, seeds, agricultural infrastructure, water sources, education and loans can make a big difference.

Governments and civil society organisations can also work towards reducing the effects of climate change, and promoting food security in doing so, by:

• reducing GHG emissions by using fewer fossil fuels, which are the largest source of ghg emissions, and switching to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power
• investing in climate-resilient agricultural practices
• expanding access to social safety nets to help people who have low incomes or are vulnerable in other ways to cope with food insecurity
• protecting and properly managing forests to prevent deforestation, or planting trees, because forests play an important role in absorbing CO2
• using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power to avoid depleting natural resources
• improving early warning systems to help organisations and individuals to identify and respond to food crises quickly