Agriculture- Moving Forward

My previous post notes the ramifications of climate change on agriculture, and make it clear that in order to tackle this issue policy makers and scientists need to collaborate and work towards a sustainable and global food system.

During the United Nations climate change summit hosted in Cancún in December 2010, an official side event was held with an aim of considering key outcomes from the Agriculture and Rural Development day.  Here, notable advances were made with respect to land use and deforestation.

Pressure from an ever-growing population, and by extension an ever-growing food market, has resulted in vast areas of tropical deforestation, chiefly in South America and Southeast Asia.  Land conversion is one of the most severe routes through which pressure from the food system contributes to global warming.

Prior to Cancún the UN initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)  already offered financial incentives to developing nations to reduce deforestation.  During Cancún, negotiators formally adopted the framework and financial commitments needed for REDD+, which goes even further and includes conservation, sustainable management of forests, and ways to improve forest carbon stocks.  A big step in the right direction.

 Furthermore, the challenge of feeding a population, potentially as large as 9 billion, is astronomical.  A plan, which enables food producers to increase, yields in a sustainable and cost effective manner needs to be established imminently.

A great deal can be achieved based knowledge and skill that has already been harnessed. However, the major task nations are faced with is to incentivize and spread the most efficient and sustainable practices.

Agricultural research is already adapting from a purely yield-based outlook to focusing on developing crops and livestock that have less impact on climate. Active research programs aim to increase the effectiveness with which crops and livestock use inputs such as water and nutrients.

Research is long-term, success uncertain and investment is needed now.

Methods that involve making the food chain more efficient can both increase food supply and reduce GHG emissions. As much as 30% of all food grown worldwide may be lost or wasted before and after it reaches the consumer. Not a nice figure at all!  Not to mention how much perfectly good food is wasted each day, primarily in higher-income countries.

Agricultural practices tailored to different regions; show promise for reducing net GHG emissions and maintaining or improving yields despite extreme weather. For example, In Niger, agroforestry on 5 million hectares has benefited >1.25 million households, sequestered carbon, and produced an extra 500,000 metric tons of grain per year

In Denmark, agricultural emissions have been reduced by 28%, while productivity increased! Have a look at how, here’s the Danish Agriculture and Food council website with lots of interesting information about how they’ve achieved this.

References-

H. C. J. Godfray1, J. Pretty, S. M. Thomas, E. J. Warham, J. R. Beddington3. (2011). Linking policy on Climate and Food. Science. 331.

Foresight, The Future of Food and Farming: Final Project Report: Futures (Government Office for Science, London, 2011).

INRA and Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), Agrimonde: Scenarios and Challenges for Feeding the World in 2050 (Editions Quae, Versailles, France, 2011).

Decline in Danish agricultural greenhouse gasses (Danish Food and Agriculture Council, Copenhagen, 2011).