Green Times

The FAO said Tuesday that hunger and malnutrition due to climate change will mostly affect those already poor, malnourished or dependent on local food production.The FAO expressed the view in a statement, issued simultaneously in Rome and Cario and made available to our correspondent in Abuja.

The statement quoted a report to be discussed at the ongoing FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, holding in Cairo from March 1 to March 5.

According to the report, agriculture in the Near East might suffer losses because of high temperature, droughts, floods and soil degradation, threatening the food security of many countries.

It noted that the middle East and North Africa were particularly exposed to water shortages.

The statement quoted Wulf Killmann, the chair of FAO’s working group on climate change, as saying that: “An additional 155 to 600 million people may suffer an increase in water stress in North Africa with a 3 degree Celsius temperature rise.

“The number of dry days is expected to increase everywhere in the region.”

According to the statement, changes in temperature, rainfall and climatic extremes will only add to the stress on agricultural resources in a region, where land availability and degradation, food price shocks and population growth are already a major concern.

It noted that many of the region’s irrigation systems were under considerable environmental strain due to salinity, water logging or over exploitation of groundwater.

FAO has, therefore, urged countries in the Near East to address the imminent threats related to climate change.

“Agriculture should be promoted as a key player in the reduction of greenhouse gases.

“Conservation agriculture, water harvesting, afforestation, sustainable management of forests and rangelands, soil storage of carbon, improved fertiliser use and the careful promotion of bioenergy in climatically suitable areas should be applied to mitigate climate change,” Killmann said.

FAO works with governments, rural communities and research institutions and provides global data, analytical tools and models, crop forecasting and impact monitoring as well as information on climate change related risks.

Meanwhile, FAO will host a high level international conference on world food security, climate change and bioenergy in Rome from June 3 to June to 5, the statement said.

It said Heads of State and Government, as well as ministers of agriculture, environment, trade, energy, water, forests and fisheries would address these issues.

FAO Assistant Director-General, Alexander Muller said the conference would provide a unique opportunity for policy-makers to broaden the perspective and discuss how climate change affects agriculture and how agriculture can contribute to reduce climate change.

“Climate change threatens the livelihoods of millions of people in rural areas. But improved farming also has a key role to play in reducing greenhouse gases,” Muller said.