Climate change is already changing how we grow food for the more than 8 billion people who live on Earth. In the future, our food systems will need to adapt even more rapidly to ensure we can feed the ever-growing number of people.

Warmer temperatures can benefit some areas by extending growing seasons, but many regions will suffer. Crops such as corn could see a 25% drop in yields if global temperatures rise by 3–5°C. Warmer conditions also increase the spread of pests and diseases, further harming productivity.

Crops are also affected by water supply—too little or too much decreases yields. Both droughts and floods are expected to become more common in areas that produce food. In these conditions, crop yields will decrease, and livestock will produce less meat and milk.

While everyone is likely to face increased costs at the grocery store as food systems are strained, about two-thirds of people living in poverty work in agriculture. A warmer world will be most dangerous for the low-income farmers who grow food to feed their families and earn their livelihoods. In regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where over half the population depends on farming, less-productive farms could lead to more malnutrition, poverty, and economic hardship. The World Health Organization already estimates 800 million people are undernourished today. A hotter planet may mean more people to feed and less food to go around.

To meet these challenges, future food systems must innovate. This includes developing crops that resist droughts and floods, using better digital tools to help farmers manage changing conditions, improving fertilizers and farming techniques, and creating financial protections for farmers when disasters strike.