Page 15 - Climate Change and Food Systems

PREFACE
This book arose in response to the growing debate about the threat of climate change on the global food supply and the challenges it poses for food security, nutrition, and poverty alleviation. This debate also brought sharper focus on the potential increased role of trade as a driver to mitigate some the negative impacts of climate on global food production.
To assess the best available evidence on
the issue and to make it more accessible for policy, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized an expert consultation in November 2013 in Rome. During the two day event, a number of acknowledged experts reviewed the current evidence on
climate impacts on food systems, examined the research methodologies and gaps, and discussed the policy implications. The consultation also discussed ways to strengthen dialogue between science and policy and to improve information sharing in support of adaptation strategies to cope with climate impacts on global food supply, food security and trade. The present volume is the outcome of this consultation and the contributed papers that followed.
Funding for this work was provided by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) as part of the FAO Multi-Partner Programme Support Mechanism (FMM) (2011-2014).
This book owes its release to many. The first acknowledgement goes to the participants of the expert consultation and the book’s contributing authors. David Hallam, Director of the Trade and Markets Division, has actively supported this work and provided the required leadership throughout. Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, then senior economist at FAO, provided valuable expert advice on the consultation program and the active experts in this field. Special thanks are addressed to external peer reviewers of selected book
chapters, namely: Joseph Eitzinger, Professor, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Austria; Thomas Hertel, Distinguished Professor and Director, the Global Trade Analysis Project, Purdue University; William Liefert,
Senior Economist, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; and Francesco Tubiello, Senior Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Special acknowledgement goes to
Nadia Laouini who ably managed the administrative support for the November 2013 consultation and for the commissioned
papers that followed. Marwan Benali provided valuable technical assistance during and after the consultation. Brett Shapiro carefully copy edited the entire manuscript, while Rita Ashton, Ettore Vecchione and Cinzia Tarisciotti collaborated superbly to format and to create the book art design.
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