Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria
Climate change threatens smallholder agriculture and food security in the Global South. While cropland expansion is often used to counter adverse climate effects despite ecological trade-offs, the benefits for diets and nutrition remain unclear. This study quantitatively examines relationships betwe...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176071 |
| _version_ | 1855515778942500864 |
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| author | Khan, B. Mehta, P. Wei, D. Ali, H. Adeluyi, O. Alabi, T.R. Olayide, O. Uponi, J.I. Davis, K.F. |
| author_browse | Adeluyi, O. Alabi, T.R. Ali, H. Davis, K.F. Khan, B. Mehta, P. Olayide, O. Uponi, J.I. Wei, D. |
| author_facet | Khan, B. Mehta, P. Wei, D. Ali, H. Adeluyi, O. Alabi, T.R. Olayide, O. Uponi, J.I. Davis, K.F. |
| author_sort | Khan, B. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Climate change threatens smallholder agriculture and food security in the Global South. While cropland expansion is often used to counter adverse climate effects despite ecological trade-offs, the benefits for diets and nutrition remain unclear. This study quantitatively examines relationships between climate anomalies, forest loss from cropland expansion, and dietary outcomes in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Combining high-resolution data on forest cover and climate variables within random forest and panel regression models, we find that 25 to 31% of annual forest loss is linked to climate variability. Using georeferenced household survey data, we then find that changes in forest cover have a significant positive association with changes in child diet diversity—a key proxy of nutritional adequacy—while cropland expansion does not, suggesting that such forest conversions may be an ineffective climate adaptation strategy for improving nutrition. Our findings highlight the potential of nutrition-sensitive climate adaptation to enhance yields, promote nutritious cropping choices, and protect remaining forests. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace176071 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| publisherStr | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1760712025-11-11T10:04:00Z Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria Khan, B. Mehta, P. Wei, D. Ali, H. Adeluyi, O. Alabi, T.R. Olayide, O. Uponi, J.I. Davis, K.F. climate change cropland nigeria forests nutrition security Smallholder farmers Climate change threatens smallholder agriculture and food security in the Global South. While cropland expansion is often used to counter adverse climate effects despite ecological trade-offs, the benefits for diets and nutrition remain unclear. This study quantitatively examines relationships between climate anomalies, forest loss from cropland expansion, and dietary outcomes in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Combining high-resolution data on forest cover and climate variables within random forest and panel regression models, we find that 25 to 31% of annual forest loss is linked to climate variability. Using georeferenced household survey data, we then find that changes in forest cover have a significant positive association with changes in child diet diversity—a key proxy of nutritional adequacy—while cropland expansion does not, suggesting that such forest conversions may be an ineffective climate adaptation strategy for improving nutrition. Our findings highlight the potential of nutrition-sensitive climate adaptation to enhance yields, promote nutritious cropping choices, and protect remaining forests. 2025-01-10 2025-08-12T10:27:39Z 2025-08-12T10:27:39Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176071 en Open Access application/pdf American Association for the Advancement of Science Khan, B., Mehta, P., Wei, D., Ali, H.A., Adeluyi, O., Alabi, T., ... & Davis, K.F. (2025). Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria. Science Advances, 11(2): eado5541, 1-11. |
| spellingShingle | climate change cropland nigeria forests nutrition security Smallholder farmers Khan, B. Mehta, P. Wei, D. Ali, H. Adeluyi, O. Alabi, T.R. Olayide, O. Uponi, J.I. Davis, K.F. Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria |
| title | Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria |
| title_full | Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria |
| title_fullStr | Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria |
| title_short | Cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in Nigeria |
| title_sort | cropland expansion links climate extremes and diets in nigeria |
| topic | climate change cropland nigeria forests nutrition security Smallholder farmers |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176071 |
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