Agriculture: A key player in climate action and food security
As 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest year on record, experts are highlighting the critical role of agriculture in combating climate change while ensuring global food security.
According to Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this raises concerns.
“We must not get used to these records falling one after the other, because they have consequences, including an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, wildfires, droughts, floods, etc. All of this has an impact on populations, especially those on the front lines like the agricultural community. So these records matter….”
Although agri-food systems contribute about a third of greenhouse gas emissions, some experts, including Zahedi, believe they also have enormous potential for positive climate action.
“Farms should not only produce food. They can also generate renewable energy. This energy can be used on the farm for greenhouses, for pumping water, for irrigation , or it can be shared with the electricity grid, or even better, use agricultural waste to transform it into fuels, biofuels. All these solutions fall under energy-smart agriculture, and this is precisely the type of work that we we carry out with the countries within FAO.”
In December, nations reached a historic agreement at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to transition the global economy to renewable energy. The summit’s Declaration on Agriculture, Food and Climate received the endorsement of 137 countries, with $3.5 billion announced to replenish the Green Climate Fund.
“Nearly $1.5 billion has been mobilized, and these funds have been specifically used to implement these solutions, for sustainable management of land and seas. This approach has already yielded excellent results. We now have more than 100 million hectares of land managed sustainably, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 500 million tonnes, leading to real benefits in terms of green jobs and means of subsistence.”
According to the 2023 Emissions Gap Report, released ahead of COP28, the world must reduce emissions by 42% by 2030 to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.