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FAO urges rapid action to put food systems on sustainable path

Xinhua, October 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

The pledge to eradicate hunger and poverty must go hand-in-hand with rapid transformation of farming and food systems to cope with a warmer world, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a newly-issued report on Monday.

The report, named the State of Food and Agriculture 2016, said agriculture, including forestry, fisheries and livestock production, generate around a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

Agriculture must both contribute more to combating climate change while bracing to overcome its impacts, it added.

Climate change threatens all dimensions of food security, FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said in the report's foreword.

FAO warned that a "business as usual" approach could put millions more people at risk of hunger compared to a future without climate change. Most affected would be populations in poor areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia, especially those who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Future food security in many countries will worsen if no action is taken today. Overhauling farming and food systems will be complex due to the vast number of stakeholders involved, the multiplicity of farming and food processing systems, and differences in ecosystems.

Yet, efforts must begin in earnest now as the adverse impacts of climate change will only worsen with time, the report emphasized

Graziano da Silva urged that 2016 should be about putting commitments into action, noting the international community last year agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris climate agreement is about to come into force.

The report underscored that success in transforming food and agriculture systems will largely depend on urgently supporting smallholders in adapting to climate change.

The report provided evidence that adoption of "climate-smart" practices, such as the use of nitrogen-efficient and heat-tolerant crop varieties, zero-tillage and integrated soil fertility management would boost productivity and farmers' incomes.

More climate finance needs to flow to sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry to fund the large-scale transformation and the development of climate-smart food production systems. Adaptation and mitigation of climate change must occur in tandem, it said.

Without action, agriculture will continue to be a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. But by adopting climate-smart practices and increasing the capacity of soils and forests to sequester carbon, emissions can be reduced while stepping up food production to feed the world's growing population, the report said. Endit