5. Climate Change and Its Implications on Food Security in the Great Lakes Region

Climate change (CC) is an existential threat globally, and the Great Lakes Region (GLR) is not immune to the impacts of these extreme events. Erratic weather and extreme events such as rainfall and droughts have serious impacts on agriculture, a major income pillar for African smallholder farmers, and an essential source of food. Climate vulnerability in the GLR is exacerbated by multiple biophysical, political, and socio-economic constraints, thus limiting adaptive capacity within the GLR. Climate vulnerabilities in the GLR suggest that research and development actors, including farmers themselves, must take action to invest massively in mechanisms that can mitigate the situation. In light of the emerging literature, this chapter documents the most recent literature on climate change and its impact on food security, including the impact on food resources, food availability, food accessibility, food utilisation and stability of food products, as well as overall food productivity, water sources and arable land in the GLR and proposes adaptation strategies based on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) to alleviate the impacts of the ongoing CC.