The impact of climate change on food security: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Fabrice Kehven Samka, Luchen Huang and Yanjun Ren

EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, 2026, vol. 24, issue 1, No 2680626, 32 pages

Abstract: The impact of climate change has gained extensive attention over the past few decades, while its impact on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region where agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate variability, still requires more in-depth and focused research, including its effects on food security. Using panel data from 1980 to 2021 , this study investigates the effects of climate change (temperature and rainfall) and ecological footprints on food security in SSA and its four sub-regions, including pathways through inflation and trade. Results show that increases in temperature and ecological footprints improve food security in SSA. Increased rainfall decreases food security in Western SSA but increases it in Middle and Southern SSA. Temperature improves food security in Eastern and Western SSA, while ecological footprints improve food security in Eastern, Western and Southern SSA. Increases in temperature and ecological footprint improve trade, while an increase in rainfall and temperature reduces inflation. However, increases in ecological footprint increases inflation. we recommend climate-resilient agriculture, strengthening climate information and early warning systems and expanding irrigation infrastructure. Region-specific strategies include the adoption of flood-tolerant crops in Western SSA, sustainable resource management in Southern SSA, and the scaling up of climate-smart agriculture in Eastern SSA. fiscal and monetary policies should be put in place to stabilize food prices.

Keywords: climate change; food production index; ecological footprints; fixed and random effects model; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:espost:341170

DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2026.2680626

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