Climate Impacts On Food and Water Security in the Southeast USA.

As global climates change in response to natural and man-made causes it is likely that some areas of the USA, particularly the Southeast, will become vulnerable to losses in food and water security. The Southeast already experiences temperatures that are near the upper limit for production of some crops and livestock, so additional warming will likely reduce productivity. Changes in rainfall patterns are projected result in more intense rainfall events separated by dry spells.  The Southeast already experiences crop losses from dry spells, so if dry spells become longer and more common, then productivity of rainfed crops will likely decline. The impacts of changing climate will be compounded by other changes in the region, including some of the fastest population growth rates in the nation, loss of highly productive agricultural lands to development, and pockets of highly vulnerable poor people. Although food security is generally considered to be a problem of developing countries and water security is generally considered to be a problem of the western USA, this paper will highlight the factors that cause food insecurity today as well as those that will lead to food and water insecurity in the future for the Southeast USA.