Food poverty: the fault of climate change

Translated by Martina Cintioli

Food poverty is increasing, even in Italy and in other countries considered rich. The number of people who struggle every day to put food on the table and who cannot access healthy food for themselves and their families is rising.

This is not only due to wars or growing social distress, but is closely linked to climate change, which is irreversibly damaging our planet.

The changing climate, with extreme weather events and heat or cold waves, is also affecting food, sometimes forcing people to modify their daily diet.

As stated in the Treccani encyclopedia, “Climate change is putting the global food system in crisis. Production is falling, prices are rising and with them the number of people suffering from hunger in the world. Extreme weather events, drought and other consequences of the climate crisis have a direct impact on food inflation”. And this is indeed the case: unpredictable weather ruins the soil, air and water, prevents sufficient harvests and therefore causes famine and food poverty.

A terribly harsh climate, no longer suitable cultivation, no longer suitable for agriculture, a sustainable agriculture that also considers the well-being of the soil, animals and the entire planet. For too long, agriculture, cultivated land and animals have been seen only as income, as pure profit, but now, as climate change becomes more dramatic each day, respecting the planet has become a necessity, an urgency.

Climate change is reducing access to healthy, nutritious foods and leading towards a future in which the diet will increasingly be a luxury rather than a right. Inequalities between the richest and the poorest are continuing to widen, and unfortunately the most vulnerable groups of the population are heading towards a future of ultra-processed and industrial foods: no nourishment, but lots of fat, salt and sugars.

Experts remind us that” in 2023 alone, food prices rose by 9,8%, and millions of Italians, food became the first expense to cut. But food poverty, ActionAid warns, is not measured only by the amount of food available, but by the quality, variety and regularity of meals. It also means losing the social value of eating together, a key element of Italian culture”. Rising food prices are making it increasingly difficult to access healthy, genuine food and many people, especially children, are experiencing absolute poverty.

Food poverty, combined with climate change, which is further reducing agricultural land, exploited to the point of becoming unsuitable for cultivation, is a real social time bomb, ready to ignite the peripheral areas of cities, where the most vulnerable groups of the population live. The changing climate is causing economic damage and affecting the social fabric of cities, disrupting social relationships that, until recently, were essential for people’s lives and supported the poorest.

Experts highlight that “the most vulnerable, on the one hand, and the most marginalized, on the other, are those who receive the lowest levels of food assistance: 1,2% for people with disabilities and 2,2% for homeless people. This is due to two main reasons: the difficulty for the former to directly receive food aid and the significant complexity of monitoring for the latter”.

When food and economic poverty meet climate change, it is the poorest segments of the population who pay the price, the first to be overwhelmed by the rising cost of basic necessities and the inability to access healthy, fresh food. For many, it is extremely difficult to put meals on the table and unfortunately the number of people facing such difficulties and unable to access better quality food will continue to grow. Climate change is damaging the agricultural sector and preventing the cultivation of healthy food for everyone.

In conclusion, poverty is largely due to climate change and ignoring this reality is no longer an option. Action is needed now to protect the planet and ensure healthy, balanced nutrition for everyone

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