Climate change to reduce food output by 21 percent
Climate change is likely to reduce food
and agricultural production by up to 21 percent in some of developing
countries, a senior UN official has said.
Climate change is likely to reduce food
and agricultural production by up to 21 percent in some of developing
countries, a senior UN official has said.
The combined effects of climate change could decrease agricultural output by up to 30 percent in Africa and between 9-21 percent in Asia by 2050, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) General Director, Jacques Diouf, at the High-Level Expert Forum on How to Feed the World in 2050, which was held in Rome, Italy, from Oct. 12-13.
The FAO chief warned that climate change is bound to have a negative effect on the economy of poor and developing countries, stressing that global efforts in tackling famine thus should be implemented more aggressively.
By 2050, the world's population is forecast to reach 9.1 billion people and in order to ensure food security, agricultural production must increase by at least 70 percent, which means 100 percent in developing countries, said Diouf.
The UN official called on all the 192 FAO members to find economic measures to fulfil the set targets.
Despite the fact that agriculture is responsible for 14 percent of CO2 emissions, the FAO director said the sector can actively contribute to adaptation and mitigation strategies aimed at tackling climate change.
Diouf said that ensuring food security and eradicating hunger in the world is not only a moral, but also an economic duty and the key is to be found in an increase of investment in the agricultural sector.
He said development aid and investment dropped by 58 percent between 1980 and 2005, and urged industrialised nations to fulfil their commitments by investing 83 billion USD a year to feed a growing population.
Other than climate change, the forum discussed the problem of soaring food prices which are likely to stay high and volatile in the medium term.
The forum is a preparatory step for the World Summit on Food Security, scheduled in Rome on Nov. 16-18./.
The combined effects of climate change could decrease agricultural output by up to 30 percent in Africa and between 9-21 percent in Asia by 2050, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) General Director, Jacques Diouf, at the High-Level Expert Forum on How to Feed the World in 2050, which was held in Rome, Italy, from Oct. 12-13.
The FAO chief warned that climate change is bound to have a negative effect on the economy of poor and developing countries, stressing that global efforts in tackling famine thus should be implemented more aggressively.
By 2050, the world's population is forecast to reach 9.1 billion people and in order to ensure food security, agricultural production must increase by at least 70 percent, which means 100 percent in developing countries, said Diouf.
The UN official called on all the 192 FAO members to find economic measures to fulfil the set targets.
Despite the fact that agriculture is responsible for 14 percent of CO2 emissions, the FAO director said the sector can actively contribute to adaptation and mitigation strategies aimed at tackling climate change.
Diouf said that ensuring food security and eradicating hunger in the world is not only a moral, but also an economic duty and the key is to be found in an increase of investment in the agricultural sector.
He said development aid and investment dropped by 58 percent between 1980 and 2005, and urged industrialised nations to fulfil their commitments by investing 83 billion USD a year to feed a growing population.
Other than climate change, the forum discussed the problem of soaring food prices which are likely to stay high and volatile in the medium term.
The forum is a preparatory step for the World Summit on Food Security, scheduled in Rome on Nov. 16-18./.
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