The impact on food security of a shrinking Lake Chad

The fourth largest lake in Africa, Lake Chad has shrunk by nearly ninety percent since the 1960s, which has impacted food security and livelihoods for fifty million people residing in the Lake Chad Basin. This short communication discusses how decreased rainfall, exacerbated by climate change, and human activity have contributed to the lake's shrinking and recommends individual, national, and multilateral coordinated interventions to ensure food security needs are met for the millions of people who rely on the lake for sustenance.

Automated summary

Lake Chad, the fourth largest lake in Africa, has shrunk by nearly ninety percent since the 1960s, impacting food security and livelihoods for fifty million people in the Lake Chad Basin. This communication discusses how decreased rainfall, exacerbated by climate change, and human activity have contributed to the shrinking of the lake and recommends coordinated interventions to ensure food security needs are met for millions of people relying on the lake for sustenance.