Impacts of the changing climate on agricultural productivity and food security: Evidence from Ethiopia

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of climate change on agriculture productivity and food security in Ethiopia. We use 2011–2020 state level data set for four major seasonal crops of Cash and Food in Ethiopia, namely, barley, wheat, maize, and sorghum. Methodologically, we apply the productivity function and the Ricardian approaches in the modelling for simulating the association of climate change with agriculture productivity. This study documents the interconnectedness among changes in climate, security of food and agriculture, indicating how the prior changes bring the latter kind of alterations. In general, agriculture in Ethiopia is prone to changes in climate and variations in the levels of precipitation, posing threats to food security of the rural population. The specific findings of this study highlight sorghum and barley as the majorly impacted stable crops as a consequence of changes in meteorology. Furthermore, the study reports that barley production in particular makes vital contribution to causing food insecurity in Ethiopia. The study recommends some policy prescriptions and adaptation methods for mitigating the detrimental effects of climate change on agricultural production and food security in Ethiopia and similar agro-based economies at large.