Compiled by Raquel Munayer and Stella Schaller, adelphi

What exactly triggers food riots? At which point does climate change come in? And what can we learn from analyzing the lack and impotence of government action in conflict areas? In our Editor’s Pick, we share 10 case studies from the interactive ECC Factbook that address the connections between food, the environment and conflict. They show how agriculture and rural livelihoods can affect stability in a country, which parties are involved in food conflicts and what possible solutions are on the table.

More than 800 million people — 11 percent of the world’s population — are hungry. When food is sufficiently available, safe, nutritious and accessible to all – and only when these conditions remain stable over time – one can speak of a state of food security. However, environmental factors such as pollution, land degradation and extreme weather events have been causing a rise in hunger in many countries throughout the world - from the Sahel to Southeast Asia.

Added to common disruptors such as conflicts, climate impacts are becoming a major contributor to food insecurity, as they further constrain access to natural resources and make harvest unpredictable or even impossible. Often, competition over shrinking resources results in or intensifies violent conflicts and forced displacement, thereby impairing livelihood systems and leading to widespread hunger. Find out:

Food Price Shocks in Morocco
Fishing Dispute in the South China Sea
Shrimp Farming Conflicts in Bangladesh
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Conservation and Conflict: The Mafia Island Marine Park
Livelihood Conflicts in the Ferghana Valley
Drought and Conflict across the Kenya-Ethiopia Border
Droughts and the Grain Export Ban in Russia
Pastoralist and Farmer-Herder Conflicts in the Sahel
North Korea's Famine Refugees

Undoubtedly, much work needs to be done by the international community to address the environmental dimensions of food insecurity. From livelihood vulnerability to global price shocks, the consequences of climate impacts on food systems are nothing less than a serious global problem. The agricultural sector is yet to be included in international climate and environmental agendas. It is high time for climate diplomacy to look into these gaps and revamp global governance mechanisms to address the risks.