Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-5 (section)

=== FAQ 5.3: Land is going to be an important resource for mitigating climate change: how is the increasing competition for land threatening global food security and who will be affected the most? ===

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''Climate change will affect food production. Meeting future food needs requires greater land shares unless we change what we eat and how we grow food. Additionally, large-scale land projects that aim to mitigate climate change will increase land competition. Less land will then be available for food production, increasing food insecurity. People at greater risk from land competition are smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples and low-income groups.''

Why is land important?

Land is a limited resource on which humans and ecosystems depend on to grow plants, which capture carbon dioxide and release oxygen, and provide food, timber and other products. We also have cultural, recreational and spiritual connections to land.

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'''Figure FAQ5.3.1 |''' ''' Climate impacts will increase competition for land use, reducing coastal land for crops and affecting food security for vulnerable groups.''' Adaptation methods like coastal aquaculture and mangrove reforestation reduce climate effects but may increase land competition.

Why will climate change affect land use?

Climate change results in more frequent heatwaves, extreme rainfall, drought and rising sea levels, which negatively affect crop yields. More land is thus needed to grow crops, increasing land competition with other food systems that use crops to feed their animals (e.g., livestock, fish). Where land will be flooded, humans cannot grow crops, but food production could be adapted to grow seafood instead. Extensive land allocations aiming at reducing carbon emissions, such as afforestation, reduce land availability for food. Unless carefully managed, competition for land will increase food prices and food security.

Solutions to reduce land competition and protect food security

Sustainable land management allows land to remain productive and support key functions. Other land practices include growing cover crops to improve soil quality. Governments can provide incentives to producers to grow alternative foods and use sustainable practices. Making sure that vulnerable groups (e.g., low-income communities, Indigenous people and small-scale producers) strengthen land tenure rights will help protect food security.

Food by-products used as alternative food sources and other products reduce waste and increase sustainability. Dietary changes are another important solution. People that eat high amounts of meat or unhealthy foods could reduce consumption of these foods and have more diverse diets. These dietary changes will benefit their health and reduce pressure on land. Regulated labelling, education and other policies which encourage healthy diets can support these shifts.

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