CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE Sourcebook
Files
Date
January, 2013Author(s)
- Lucia Palombi
- euben Sessa
- Xiangjun Yao
- Tiina Vähänen
Abstract
Why is climate-smart agriculture needed? Between now and 2050, the world’s population will increase by one-third. Most of these additional 2 billion people will live in developing countries. At the same time, more people will be living in cities. If current income and consumption growth trends continue, FAO estimates that agricultural production will have to increase by 60 percent by 2050 to satisfy the expected demands for food and feed. Agriculture must therefore transform itself if it is to feed a growing global population and provide the basis for economic growth and poverty reduction. Climate change will make this task more difficult under a business-as-usual scenario, due to adverse impacts on agriculture, requiring spiraling adaptation and related costs. To achieve food security and agricultural development goals, adaptation to climate change and lower emission intensities per output will be necessary. This transformation must be accomplished without depletion of the natural resource base. Climate change is already having an impact on agriculture and food security as a result of increased prevalence of extreme events and increased unpredictability of weather patterns. This can lead to reductions in production and lower incomes in vulnerable areas. These changes can also affect global food prices. Developing countries and smallholder farmers and pastorals in particular are being especially hard hit by these changes. Many of these small-scale producers are already coping with a degraded natural resource base. They often lack knowledge about potential options for adapting their production systems and have limited assets and risk-taking capacity to access and use technologies and financial services.
Citation
climate-smart agriculture;FAO;agricultural development goals;food security.
Publisher
© FAO 2013
Rights Holder
© FAO 2013
URI
https://knowledgehub.pksf.org.bd/collections/V3M4SzV6c2dYUVBHclI0ZVMyR0Zzdz09