Climate-Smart Agriculture: the key to a happy marriage?

Climate and agriculture seem to have a love-hate relationship, but if sustainable actions are adopted, then there may be a chance for the two to co-exist happily enough.

This relationship was the subject of much discussion by experts at the High Level Policy Dialogue on Investment in Agricultural Research for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific this week.

Development has brought human beings both opportunities and challenges. Climate change and food security are hot issues. Unsustainable Agriculture is a major contributor to carbon emissions, thus increasing the frequency and intensity of drought, floods, cyclones and other natural disasters.

Beau Damen of FAO-RAP posed the question: ‘Can there be a “safe space” in the midst of increasing population needs, production challenges and climate change? This is where Climate Smart Agriculture is a possible option.

CSA may mean ‘community-supported agriculture’ to some, but at the High Level Policy Dialogue it means Climate Smart Agriculture. CSA has three pillars: increased productivity and income growth in agriculture; adaptation across agricultural sectors and building resilience towards expected climatic changes; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In line with the conference’s theme of investment on agricultural research, Paresh Bhaskar, a young expert from India, proposed specific solutions. Most, if not all, speakers called upon states, intergovernmental organizations, and the non-government sector to take action guided by the Global Action Plan for Agricultural Diversification (GAPAD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Blogpost by Yali Bai and Jim Cano, #GCARD3 Social Reporters – byl010213(at)163.com, jim.cano7(at)gmail.com

Picture courtesy Noerizki– Vecto2000

This post is part of the live coverage during the #GCARD3 Regional Consultation for Asia and Pacific region. This post is written by our social reporters, and represents the authors’ views only.