Theme 5: Food Markets and Consumers in a World of Climate Change ​

The objective of Theme 5 is to expand the current knowledge base related to likely impacts of climate change on future food supply systems, taking new agricultural developments and the preferences and dietary needs of future consumers into account.

Global climate change is accelerating despite increasing international awareness of its causes. It is commonly accepted that the consequences will likely involve a global increase in average temperature and weather extremes, as well as a rise in the ocean level. Many parts of the world, including the Gulf Region, are already witnessing an increase in the occurrence of extreme rain, drought, and heat events, leading to a greater insecurity of agricultural production. It is thus expected that world food markets will become increasingly volatile under the impact of climate change in the future. ​

The ARIFSID performs modeling studies to predict the impact of climate change on the availability of food for import, consumer preferences, and regional markets. The results will support the development of strategies to cushion blows of climate change and related food market price surges in the UAE and other countries with a high dependency on imported food. ​

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