Fragile climate endangered food security: FAO report

Vienna, Nov 29: Climate change and deplorable quality of soil are the main reasons for endangering food security, said a recent report of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report was released on November 27.

 

Rapid advances in agricultural innovation that address climate change and support family farmers are crucial if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Director-General told the opening session of the first International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers.

"We are seeking to develop solutions that can be easily, cheaply, and sustainably replicated across countries and regions," José Graziano da Silva said. "We need to increase our understanding of the innovation drivers and processes. We also need to look for concrete solutions, identify priority interventions and develop strategies to scale up successful experiences," he added.

 

Family farmers represent nearly 800 million people and have long been agricultural entrepreneurs and innovators. They manage about 75 percent of the world's agricultural land and produce about 80 percent of the world's food. Fostering their capacity to innovate is especially crucial today to meet the future food demands from a projected population of nearly 10 billion people in 2050, in the context of a changing climate.

 

"Innovating for family farmers and addressing the factors that impede transitions to diversified agro-ecological systems must become a higher priority," Inga Rhonda King, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), told the opening session.

 

FAO supports countries and family farmers to apply innovative practices, such as agro-ecological zero-tillage in South America and Asia, the Director-General said. FAO also recognizes the successful innovations that family farmers have implemented over centuries, and supports them to develop and spread this traditional knowledge. In particular, FAO promotes a new modality of South-South Cooperation focusing on farmer-to-farmer direct exchanges of ideas, knowledge and practices.

 

The reports stated that, feeding to hungry planet is growing increasingly difficult as climate change and depletion of resources undermines food system. In the last decade, there is rise in level of hunger and malnutrition. Hunger is most severe in Africa. Largest no. of under-nourished people lives in Asia-Pacific region. We need improved and good public policies and technology for overcoming this problem.