FAO Calls for Focus on Climate-resilient Agriculture at Asia-Pacific Symposium
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Petir Garda Bhwana
Kamis, 6 Oktober 2022 15:41 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Bangkok - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has urged governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to massively accelerate transformation of their agrifood systems, or risk worsening malnutrition and environmental degradation in the world’s most populous region, according to the FAO at Asia-Pacific symposium on Wednesday 5, 2022.
FAO stated that rising food prices, floods, drought, water scarcity, increasing climate-related disasters, the global pandemic and conflicts, are driving food insecurity across the region. FAO explained that these challenges directly impact the most vulnerable people, including smallholder farmers, others depending on the land for their livelihoods and millions of urban poor.
FAO also explained that changes in rainfall patterns, crucial for agriculture in the monsoon region and in the frequencies and timings of pest and disease outbreaks have combined to lower yields. Asia and the Pacific already experiences 60 percent of global fatalities and 40 percent of economic losses due to multiple hazards and risks. In summary, the region’s complex agrifood systems are under enormous strain, according to the them.
Qu Dongyu, FAO’s Director-General, said that the region’s transformation needs to focus on outcomes that result in better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all.
FAO has mapped out four priority areas in which acceleration is needed:
1. Providing immediate support to the vulnerable through social protection systems, especially in rural areas and among vulnerable groups;
2. Boosting agricultural production by ensuring that family farmers have affordable access to seeds and fertilizers, working capital and technical assistance, and links to markets;
3. Facilitating trade in agricultural products and inputs to prevent further disruptions to food production; and
4. Investing in climate-resilient agriculture to address and reverse the effects of the climate crisis.
The Director-General also warned that the SDG’s ( Sustainable Development Goals ) would not be achievable unless there is a collective will to defeat hunger, as a priority, in a post-pandemic region.
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