Climate-Smart Agriculture |
In an interview
with IPS, Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Executive Director of the Consultative
Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) System
Organization, analyses the impact of this staggering fact, which is
based on the AAA Initiative report (Initiative for the Adaptation of
Africa Agriculture to Climate Change), as well as the needed solutions.
The increasing
occurrence and severity of weather events such as droughts and floods,
high heat and cold stress, will impact agriculture in Africa,
threatening regional food systems, explains Grainger-Jones.
Smallholder farmers
and those who primarily draw their incomes from agriculture value
chains will be affected, which will in turn threaten the region's food
security, adds the executive director of this partnership comprising 15
independent, non-profit research organiations, home to over 8,000
scientists, researchers and technicians.
"Agriculture and
our global food systems, however, contribute up to 29 per cent of
greenhouse gas emissions which needs to urgently be addressed,"
Grainger-Jones underlines.
He further explains
that CGIAR is helping the developing world to harness an environmental
transformation, to drastically cut the environmental footprint of the
food system, including climate emissions, land degradation, water, land
pollution and food waste.
Smart Agriculture, Forestry, Water
Grainger-Jones adds
that CGIAR is leading a major effort to develop and scale up
climate-smart agriculture, to improve forestry practices and governance,
and to transform the productivity of water use.
"We're also working
to apply relevant new science to develop a new suite of tools and
approaches to transform agricultural systems - ranging from policy
advice on nutrition and market development, new tools to harness
satellite based information and forecasting and new approaches to
landscape-level planning."
Urgent Need to Adapt Agriculture
According to
Grainger-Jones, there is an urgent need to adapt agriculture -- which
feeds this chronically food insecure region and forms the backbone of
its economy -- to extreme weather conditions.
Asked what are the
most urgent priorities now and in the medium- and long-term, he explains
that climate risks to crops, livestock and fisheries are expected to
increase in the coming decades, particularly in low-income countries
where adaptive capacity is weaker.
Impacts on
agriculture threaten both food security and agriculture's pivotal role
in rural livelihoods and broad-based development, adds Grainger-Jones.
"There is an urgent need to implement climate-smart solutions to help smallholder farmers adapt to a changing climate."
Climate-smart
agriculture, one of the key approaches, includes practices and
technologies that increase productivity in a sustainable manner, support
farmers' adaptation to climate change and mitigate levels of greenhouse
gas emissions, he explains.
Technologies and Policies Already Exist
"We have
technologies and policy recommendations that can be implemented now, and
our work through the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change,
Agriculture and Food Security is central to supporting smallholder
farmers now and in the future."
"Looking beyond the
near-term priorities, we need to continue supporting research to find
new ways to adapt and maintain sustainable food systems, which will be
under increasing stress to be able to feed a growing population in the
face of climate change," Grainger-Jones adds to IPS.
"It's not just
about growing more food, but making safe, healthy food available that
supports healthy diets. We need to reform policies and practices in food
systems in the developing world to tackle malnutrition and an emerging
global obesity epidemic."
Poor Rural Populations Forced to Flee
IPS asked
Grainger-Jones about the fact that poor rural populations, in particular
in Africa, are being forced to flee conflicts and climate change's
severe impacts, and what are the most pressing policies to be followed
in order to prevent massive migration?
It is widely
believed that climate change will have negative impacts on agricultural
communities, he says, adding that research is supporting the theory that
climate impacts will catalyse tragedy among vulnerable populations.
"We need to invest in helping farmers produce more on their existing land using sustainable approaches."
Asked how,
Grainger-Jones explains that with proper foresight and better
understanding of the connections between climate change, food security
and migration, world leaders can address one of the main contributors to
this crisis, and create better lives and futures for vulnerable people.
"With early
warning, early action can be taken towards planning and preparedness
that can reduce the negative impacts on society."
Drought, Advancing Desertification
Drought and advancing desertification have been aggravating the growing water scarcity challenges.
Asked what CGIAR
recommended at the World Water Week 2017 (August 27 to September 1,
2017) in Stockholm, Grainger-Jones says that CGIAR, through the
International Center for Agriculture in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), a CGIAR
Research Center, is developing technologies that are combatting drought
and desertification.
"For example, in
Jordan, to cope with water scarcity, we have developed practical
mechanised water harvesting techniques that support the revegetation of
degraded rangeland ecosystems," he adds.
Recent research
found that untreated wastewater from cities used to irrigate crops
downstream is 50 percent more widespread than researchers had previously
thought.
"There is a need to
mitigate public health risks and avoid a major environmental hazard
through measures taken along the entire food supply chain, and includes
improved wastewater treatment, but also preventative methods on farms
and food handling."
The International
Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center, and the
CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), have
outlined a dual approach to enhance water quality and wastewater
management that consists of practical safety measures as well as green
business solutions, concludes Grainger-Jones.
CGIAR is a global
research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is dedicated
to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and
improving natural resources and ecosystem services.
Based in
Montpellier, Canada, its research is carried out by 15 CGIAR centers in
close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and
regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia,
development organisations and the private sector.
All 15 Research
Centers are independent, non-profit research organisations, innovating
on behalf of poor people in developing countries. . Each Center has its
own charter, board of trustees, director general, and staff.
Elwyn
Grainger-Jones (UK), joined CGIAR in October 2016 with over 20 years
experience and expertise in development, agriculture and climate change,
including previous positions at the UK's Department for International
Development (DFID), the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD) and the World Bank.
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