The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses offers an annual award for newly published research or thinking that has been recognized to be outstanding by members of the Climate Change: Impacts and Responses Research Network.
This study examines the impact of climate variability on undernutrition, specifically on the severity, trends, and seasonality of wasting, a crucial aspect of undernutrition, among children and mothers in rural Malawi. Various statistical methods were utilized to assess and analyze trends, seasonality, and correlations between climatic factors and wasting occurrences from January 2011 to December 2018. Although no significant trend changes were observed in climate variables, a notable increase in wasting cases over time, particularly during wet seasons, indicates a heightened susceptibility to climate-related stressors. While temperature and rainfall exhibit weak correlations with wasting, regression analyses reveal a significant influence of these factors on moderate child wasting and maternal wasting but not on severe child wasting. The findings underscore the persistent challenge of wasting, highlighting vulnerabilities within the population even under relatively stable weather conditions. This emphasizes the urgency for integrated climate-smart nutrition programs, targeted health interventions, and policy support to address malnutrition. Enhancing the resilience of rural farming communities in the face of climate change is imperative to improve nutritional outcomes and overall resilience to its effects. The study’s insights contribute to understanding the complex interplay between climate variability and malnutrition, advocating for multifaceted strategies to combat the adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.
Without a clear understanding of how climate variability affects child and maternal nutrition, policymakers and development practitioners risk implementing solutions that fail to address the root causes of malnutrition. Our study, “Impact of Climate Variability on Child and Maternal Wasting among Smallholder Farming Communities in Malawi,” bridges this critical knowledge gap by analyzing how fluctuations in temperature and rainfall influence nutritional outcomes. In the absence of such evidence, interventions may overlook the compounded effects of climate stress on food security, particularly among smallholder farming communities that depend on rain-fed agriculture.
The findings advance both knowledge and practice by demonstrating that while climate variability may not mean extreme climate shifts as observed during the study period, cases of child and maternal wasting increased significantly over the eight years studied, especially in the wet season. This highlights a need to rethink how seasonal climate patterns interact with food access, maternal health, and child nutrition. The study reveals that temperature variability has a more pronounced effect on wasting than rainfall fluctuations. It provokes the question, what kind of climate-sensitive nutrition strategies do we need? The study contributes to a growing body of evidence advocating for integrated, community-led adaptation approaches.
The study's findings have significant implications for Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions grappling with climate-related nutrition challenges. It highlights the urgent need for localized, climate-smart nutrition strategies that integrate adaptive agricultural practices, enhanced food storage systems, and community-led food security initiatives. By leveraging these insights, governments, NGOs, and international agencies can develop programs that seamlessly integrate climate resilience with maternal and child health interventions. Addressing these interconnected challenges will not only strengthen local resilience but also contribute to global efforts to address the impacts of climate change on human health.
—Elias Gaveta and Mavuto Tembo
Sumanta Banerjee, Souryabrata Mohapatra, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 16, Issue 1, pp.107–129
Vulnerability Assessment of Agriculture at Different Spatial Scales in Konya, Turkey
Helga Rittersberger Tılıç, Melike Kuş, and Uğur Murat Leloğlu, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 15, Issue 1, pp.1–13
Ojetunde Ojewola, Mark Morgan, and Sonja Wilhelm Stani, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 14, Issue 1, pp.91–106
Gary Wilson, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 12, Issue 3, pp.33–44
The Role of Electric Vehicles in Reducing Climate Impact: Swedish Public Debate 2010–2018
Linda Olsson, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 11, Issue 3, pp.1–13
Robert Newell, Ann Dale, and Mark Roseland, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp.1–23
Judith Burnside-Lawry, Morgan Wairiu, Elisabeth Holland, Sarika Chand, and Rosa Fraque, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp.11–33
Climate Change, Conflict, and Moving Borders
James Lee and Kisei Tanaka, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp.29–44
S. Thomas Ng and Christopher To, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp.1–9
An Eco-village as a Solution for the Border: San Cristobal
Sandra Acosta, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 6, Issue 3-4, pp.1–17
Climate Induced Migration: Lessons from Bangladesh
Reazul Ahsan, Jon Kellett, and Sadasivam Karuppannan, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp.1–15
Abby Beck, Gale M. Sinatra, and Doug Lombardi, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp.1–17
Geoengineering in a World Risk Society
Tina Sikka, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp.143–154
Climate Change Impacts in Pakistan: Awareness and Adaptation
Zareen Shahid and Awais Piracha, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp.119–130
Social Capital as a Source of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Developing Countries
Vivek Prasad, Monique Helfrich, and Susan A. Crate, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp.149–162