UN: Major reform in agriculture needs to meet climate targets
NAN-AE-4
Climate
Rome, Oct. 17, 2016 (dpa/NAN) A major shift in global farming practices, including greater efforts against deforestation and subsidies reform, is needed to meet climate change reduction targets, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned on Monday.
Agriculture accounts for at least one-fifth of greenhouse emissions, FAO noted in its State of Food and Agriculture 2016 report.
FAO issued the report before the Paris Climate Agreement will be due to come into force.
It said that the Paris target of curbing the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
“The challenge is to reduce those agriculture emissions while meeting unprecedented demand for food.
This could be achieved by “putting a halt to deforestation and forest degradation.
“Governments has decided to shift existing subsidies worth 560 billion dollars in 2015 to developed and major developing countries towards more sustainable farming, “FAO director Jose Graziano Da-Silva said.
The report said that status quo on subsidies can “perpetuate unsustainable production practices rather than those that promote resource-use efficiency, soil conservation and the reduction in the intensity of agriculture’s own greenhouse gas emissions.
More modern farming methods, supported by targeted aid to farmers in the developing world include the use of nitrogen-efficient crops.
Others are water-conserving alternatives to flooding of rice paddies and better feeding of livestock – could also help, the Rome-based agency said.
FAO warned that “there was no simple” technological fix.
It called for a general “reorientation of agricultural and rural development policies,” also advising a shift in diets away from carbon intensive foods such as meat.
According to FAO, global food demand is set to rise by at least 60 per cent from 2006 levels, while climate change may result in 35 million-122 million more people going hungry.
It said this mainly will be due to weather-related damage to farming incomes. (dpa/NAN)
OYE/AFA
Edited Damilola Oyewole/Felix Ajide
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