The climate is changing, agriculture must change too – Moon
The UN Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon has highlighted the close relationship between climate change, sustainable agriculture and food and nutrition security on this year’s World Food Day scheduled for October 16.
He was speaking on: “The climate is changing, Food and Agriculture must too.”
The target for the Day is to throw more light on how agriculture could be diversified to conquer challenges posed by climate change.
The UN Secretary General said in order to bolster food security in a changing climate; countries must address food and agriculture in their climate action plans and invest more in rural development.
He said targeted investments in these sectors would build resilience and increase the incomes and productivity of small farmers, lifting millions from poverty.
They would also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard health and well-being.
“Agriculture must be more resilient, productive, inclusive and sustainable,”’ Mr Moon said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency.
The UN Secretary General expressed worry on the increasing effects of climate change on the ecosystem and agriculture making production of food difficult to meet the demands of the expanding global population.
Mr Moon said record-breaking temperatures, rising sea levels, more frequent and severe droughts and floods caused by climate change were affecting society’s ability to produce food.
“The most vulnerable people are world’s poorest, 70 per cent of who depend on subsistence farming, fishing or pastoralism for income and food,” he said.
He said without concerted actions, millions of people would fall into poverty and hunger, which would threaten or reverse hard won-gains and endanger the UN’s ability to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
To salvage the situation, Mr Moon said next month, the historic Paris Agreement on climate change would enter into force, which would provide a much-needed boost to global efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, limit temperature rise and promote climate-compatible sustainable agriculture.
The UN Secretary General urged governments and their partners to take a holistic, collaborative and integrated approach to climate change, food security and equitable social and economic development.
“We can achieve a world of zero hunger and free from poverty, where all people can live in peace, prosperity and dignity only through partnership,” Mr Moon said.
Source: GNA