Revisiting the drought-food insecurity nexus: a social-ecological systems perspective

In the era of Anthropocene, drought frequency and severity are projected to increase globally, posing significant challenges in achieving food security (SDG 2). While remarkable progress has been made in drought and food insecurity research, relatively few studies have attempted to capture the inherent complexity of the drought-food insecurity nexus, particularly the interactions and feedback between ecological and social systems. An example of a feedback loop is that, as drought reduces crop production and heightens food insecurity, it can also lead to greater reliance on irrigation, which in turn depletes water resources, thereby exacerbating drought conditions. Moreover, the traditional approach of viewing drought as a natural phenomenon and food insecurity as a social phenomenon indicates flaws in assessing and monitoring the drought-food insecurity nexus. In this perspective, we propose a social-ecological systems (SES) approach that holistically integrates these dimensions, emphasizing the complex interactions and feedback that characterize the drought-food insecurity nexus. We also present a conceptual SES model developed in the context of the regional drought-food insecurity nexus in Bangladesh and discuss its implications in future research. We argue that cross-sectoral collaboration is needed for identifying leverage points and designing policy interventions to achieve food security targets. We also suggest that future research needs to consider all the complex relationships and trade-offs between social and ecological systems to inform sustainable policy development relating to achieving food security (SDG 2) by 2030 and long-after.