Does climate change enhance rural food insecurity; experience from mountainous areas of Pakistan?

Rural economy mostly depends on agriculture sector. The people residing in rural areas largely rely on farming for their livelihoods. In Pakistan the agriculture sector is the most vulnerable to climate change as majority of the poor people reside in rural areas and depends on agriculture especially in mountainous areas. These areas are highly food insecure as compared to the other areas of the country. The present study was designed to determine that climate change play any role in enhancing food insecurity with special reference to mountainous area district Mansehra. Total 120 respondents were selected from three localities with equal proportion. The results showed that majority (38.33%) of the respondents depend on agriculture profession for their livelihoods. Climate change enhanced food insecurity through different ways and means. Out of these means through decrease in production of crops, fruits and vegetables was at the top with highest mean value (M=2.78) followed by water shortage, changes in rainfall intensity, increase intensity of floods, soil erosion and degradation and loss of different physical and human assets having mean value 2.73, 2.64, 2.59, 2.47 and 2.43, respectively. It was concluded that agriculture extension wing should play his role in increasing awareness among rural farming community about different adaptation strategies regarding rapid climate change in the region.