Invest In Agriculture To Fight Climate Change –FAO

Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
deputy director-general-General for Natural
Resources, Maria-Helena Semedo has said
in addition to reducing poverty and hunger,
agriculture can play a crucial role in making
the response to climate change responsible
and more effective.
The FAO Deputy Director stated this
yesterday at the signing of Paris Agreement
In New York to attend the signing ceremony
of the Paris Climate Change Agreement as
well as other high level events.
In her words “Agriculture can help reduce
the impact of climate change; thus fostering
resilience among communities, she said
during a High-Level Thematic Debate on
Achieving the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) at the UN Headquarters”
The Agreement recognises “the fundamental
priority of safeguarding food security and
ending hunger, and the particular
vulnerabilities of food production systems
to the impacts of climate change”.
He said the event also highlights the need to
“increase the ability to adapt to the adverse
impacts of climate change and foster
climate resilience in a manner that does not
threaten food production.”
Semedo noted that “Agriculture is one of
the main sectors of the economy that is
severely affected by climate change. The
recent El Niño phenomenon is a testimony
to that. She said the support for the
agreement comes at a time when some 60
million people around the world are being
affected by the El Niño climate event.
It is important to note that the rural poor
and small holder farmers are severely
affected by climate change threats, Semedo
stressed.
During speaking engagements at various
high level events, the FAO Deputy-Director
General reiterated the crucial role of family
farmers in poverty and hunger eradication
“Poverty and hunger have similar causes
and are often bound together and must
therefore be tackled together” she said
Meanwhile the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon who hosted the event said “Some 175
countries today signed the historic accord
— agreed last December in the French
capital — at a ceremony at UN headquarters