Climate change may reshape diets

Climate pressures on agriculture could alter food availability and household diets, potentially affecting nutrition and cardiometabolic health, experts said at a workshop in Dhaka on Sunday, September 20, 2026.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) organized the workshop to examine the links between climate change, agriculture, household food choices, nutrition and diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

The workshop used fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM), a systems-analysis approach that brings together knowledge from different sectors to map potential relationships between factors. Organizers said it was the first application of FCM in Bangladesh specifically to examine interconnected pathways between climate, nutrition and cardiometabolic health.

The event was held under the project “The Impact of Climate Change on Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Disease in Bangladesh: Catalyzing Policy Action,” funded through the Wellcome Trust Climate Impacts Award. The project runs from March 2026 to February 2029 and aims to generate evidence to support healthier diets and climate-responsive policies.

Dr. Sreejith Aravindakshan, CIMMYT Scientist in Adoption, Scaling and Innovation Systems, led the workshop and introduced the FCM approach. Prof Malay Kanti Mridha of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, and Dr Kaela Connors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also presented aspects of the project.

Participants discussed how climate-related losses in agricultural production could affect food availability and household diets. They also examined potential effects on fish-based diets, drinking water, and food and beverage choices.

Prof. Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury of the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute said the effects of climate change on household nutrition could vary considerably between households.

Prof. Mridha highlighted the possibility that climate-related changes could contribute to both undernutrition and overnutrition.

Dr. Subarna Ferdous of the Department of Fisheries noted that climate change could affect fish diversity and aquaculture, potentially reducing access to fish as an important source of protein.

Participants also discussed adaptation measures including household access to cool drinking water, agroforestry and nutrition education.

The FCM maps will be used to identify potential pathways and research priorities. Researchers stressed that the maps represent stakeholder assessments and do not establish causation or predict future disease rates.

The wider project is jointly led by Prof Lindsey Smith Taillie of UNC-Chapel Hill and Prof Mridha, with CIMMYT and the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh among the implementing partners.
//DBTech/ABM/BPO//