There will be “no sustainable future without eradicating
poverty and hunger,” the United Nations agriculture agency chief
spelt out on Monday, launching the Food and Agriculture
Organization’s (FAO) latest flagship
publication, on the world’s Agricultural Commodity
Markets.
Focusing this year on the links between agricultural
trade, climate change and food security, Director-General José
Graziano da Silva said in the foreword that “ensuring food security
for all is both a key function of, and a challenge for agriculture,
which faces ever-increasing difficulties.”
“As populations rise, urbanization increases and incomes grow,
the agricultural sector will be under mounting pressure to meet
the demand for safe and nutritious food,” Mr. da Silva explained.
He sized up that agriculture must generate decent jobs to support
billions of rural people globally, especially in developing
countries where hunger and poverty are concentrated.
Turning to the warming planet, he underscored that agriculture is
pivotal in helping to sustain the world’s natural resources and
biodiversity.
“Climate change will have an increasingly adverse impact on many
regions of the world, with those in low latitudes being hit the
hardest,” he said.
The report points out that by the middle of this century, higher
temperatures, precipitation changes, rising sea levels, extreme
weather events and a likely increase in damage due to pests and
disease, will all significantly impact agriculture and food
security.
Climate change impacts will affect different places in different
ways, with variations across crops and regions. Arid and
semi-arid regions will be exposed to even lower rainfall levels
and higher temperatures, lowering crop yields.
Countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America will be
disproportionately affected, many of which already suffer from
poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition.
Conversely, countries in temperate, largely more-developed areas,
may benefit from warmer weather during their growing season,
further exacerbating existing inequalities and widening the
development gap.
“Unless we take urgent action to combat climate change, we can
expect to see a very different global picture of agriculture in
the future,” the FAO chief stressed.
Agricultural trade impact
The relationship between agricultural trade and food security is
increasingly important in both trade and development agendas,
with developing countries requiring international support to cope
with climate change.
While international trade can potentially stabilize markets and
reallocate food from surplus to deficit regions, Mr. Graziano da
Silva emphasized: “We must ensure that the evolution and
expansion of agricultural trade is equitable and works for the
elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition
globally.”
Against the backdrop that the world’s food system overall in 2050
will need to produce almost 50 per cent more, compared to 2012,
according to the report, the sector needs to adjust to climate
change effects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while meeting
a growing demand.
Producing more with less, while preserving natural resources and
enhancing the livelihoods of small-scale family farmers, will be
a key challenge for the future.
“Developing and implementing policies that shift global
agricultural production onto a more sustainable path, protect the
most vulnerable countries and regions…will be key if we are to
see a world free of hunger and malnutrition by 2030,” concluded
the Director-General.
