As the world population is estimated to grow by two billion in the next 30 years, the food production systems is going to face an enormous challenge, made even more daunting by climate change. According to the experts, agriculture must increase its output by a startling 50% in the next 30 years .
To address this situation, it’s fundamental to dramatically scale up climate-smart agriculture (CSA), an approach to food production that can improve productivity, increase resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations asserts that CSA allows producers to sustainably increase productivity and incomes, as it is a nature-positive production approach leveraging best management practices, spun through a climate change lens and tailored to specific crops, regions and ecosystems. Additionally, countless farmers have reported dramatic increases in production, pest control and other advantages to implementing CSA practices.
The CSA scale up must be a coordinated process involving multiple stakeholders to help coordinate harmonious policies across climate change, land use, agricultural, water and other relevant sectors that otherwise may not align. Sustainability standards and certifications also play a significant role in scaling up CSA. In its new 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard, the Rainforest Alliance has embedded CSA principles, a climate risk assessment tool for farmers and a shared responsibility approach for sustainability measures.
Finally, major investment involving the entire supply chain is required to scale up CSA. As agriculture is an economic mainstay for many countries, public investment in CSA should be prioritized in order to further incentivise producers to adopt CSA practices.
Scaling up will require massive stakeholder engagement, cooperation and investment on every level in order to succeed in feeding an increasingly hungry planet.
For further information visit: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/why-we-must-scale-up-climate-smart-agriculture-csa-climate-hunger-population-resilience/