Climate change threatens global food security through increased drought, flooding, and extreme weather – while the world population approaches 10 billion. Our research addresses this challenge through integrated analysis of food systems, climate impacts, and adaptation strategies. CCSR's food systems work is a core part of the Climate School's Food for Humanity (F4H) Initiative, contributing climate science expertise to F4H's collaborative network advancing healthy and sustainable food systems.
We lead pioneering work in food system network science, revealing how climate shocks and market disruptions cascade through interconnected global supply chains. This research explains why events like the Ukraine conflict trigger food price spikes differently across regions and identifies vulnerable nodes in the food system where interventions can be most effective.
Building on this vulnerability research, we're developing FamineWatch at Columbia—the first initiative in an envisioned global FamineWatch Early Warning Research Coalition. This next-generation early warning system integrates diverse data sources—satellite imagery, climate forecasts, economic indicators, and local observations—using fuzzy logic methodologies to detect subtle shifts in food system vulnerabilities before they escalate into crises. While still in the planning phase, FamineWatch is establishing a collaborative platform across multiple institutions, balancing global protocols with regional expertise to transform how we monitor and respond to food insecurity worldwide.
Our team plays a central role in the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP), modeling crop performance under future climate scenarios and integrating agronomic, economic, and climate data to project yields and identify adaptation opportunities.
We're developing a Climate-Agriculture Research Facility at LDEO—integrating advanced climate modeling with agricultural field research. This facility will test climate-adapted practices, validate crop models against real-world data, and translate predictions into practical guidance for farmers and policymakers.
