CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

One of the greatest threats to global food security in the twenty-first century is the concept of climate change, as the rise in temperature, changed precipitation levels, and the frequency of extreme weather events have completely changed the agricultural systems across the globe. Although there is an increasing awareness of these issues, a complete synthesis of the recent empirical data is not yet done on an interdisciplinary and geographical scale. This is a systematic literature review that attempts to generalize the existing evidence in climate change effects on food security in the world, the scale of effects, the regional variations, adaptation mechanisms, and gaps in research. The systematic searches in databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect) were performed according to the recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines based on studies published in 2015-2025. We also used peer-reviewed empirical research that investigates the effects of climate change on food availability, access, utilization, and stability. Quality appraisal was by the use of Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist and thematic synthesis data extraction was by standard protocols. Out of the 2847 records identified, 67 studies were eligible. This evidence has shown that climate change has an adverse effect on food security in all four pillars, with disproportionate implications in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Meta-analytic evidence suggests that 1 o C rise in temperature decreases the world production of wheat by about 6 per cent and extreme weather has led to cumulative losses of 804 million tons of big cereals between 2001 and 2024. Adaptation measures, especially Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) have potentials but have a high level of hindrances to implementation such as funding, poor infrastructure and lack of institutional support. Climate change presents existential challenges that threaten global food security that needs urgent and concerted efforts to integrate technological innovation, policy reform, and sustainable intensification. The future studies need to focus more on longitudinal studies, assessment of risk that a compound has, and context-specific adaptation frameworks to guide evidence-based interventions.