Experts warn that a severe drought that threatens the country’s food security will affect from February to the middle of next year. Especially at a time when people are enduring hardships due to the economic crisis, this drought will make a severe impact, they said.
This was revealed during a high-level scientific session organized by the SAARCSFOOD Association of Sri Lanka on climate change and its impact on food security in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka is already a country vulnerable to climate changes with frequent extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and storms that could damage crops and disrupt supply chains.” said the Assistant Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Nalin Munasinghe
He stressed the need for policy and adaptation measures to deal with them and ensure food security in the end.
In his presentation, the Assistant Representative said shifts in climate can lead to altered growing seasons, changes in the prevalence of pests and diseases, and increased risk of crop failures.
Also, the Clinical Nutrition Specialist Dr.Renuka Jayatissa, in her presentation, said though Sri Lanka had achieved good health with very low cost in healthcare, which resulted in longer life expectancy, such successes were hand in hand with a shameful failure.
She said almost one-third of households are food insecure in Sri Lanka and addressing this failure would be made much harder by the economic crisis and climate change.
“Sri Lanka is currently undergoing an economic crisis and people are facing immense hardships in obtaining a healthy diet. We estimate that 70 percent of people are having hardships in reaching a healthy diet. Additionally, rising temperatures and more frequent severe weather will also have a disastrous impact on the availability and productivity of agricultural land. Indeed, we experience it today,” she said.
“During the current economic crisis, the micronutrient gap is getting wider due to high prices of foods. As you may already be aware, approximately half of the Sri Lankan population has some form of micronutrient deficiencies. Studies show that many plants grown under conditions of higher CO2 levels suffer a decrease in micronutrients including B vitamins, zinc, and iron. Micronutrient deficiencies lead to potential impacts on human health and nutrition which are life threatening. Food fortification can help to fill the micronutrient gap. Millions of people will be more vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies due to diet with less diversity,” added the Clinical Nutrition Specialist Dr.Renuka Jayatissa.
