Colleen Dardagan
PUTTING agriculture at the heart of a climate change policy is behind a book launched at the Agriculture and Rural Development Day in Durban at the weekend.
Written by Charlie Pye-Smith, the book shows how global warming is changing the face of farming around the world.
Farming accounts for 29 percent of the gross domestic products in developing countries and provides jobs for 65 percent of their populations.
“Agriculture is not just a victim of climate change, but directly responsible for 10 to 12 percent of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. This excludes emissions resulting from fuel use and fertiliser production,” he writes.
According to the book, over the next four decades, food production must rise by 70 percent to feed a population increase from 7 billion to 9bn people.
But to increase food production without further increasing greenhouse gas emissions is a tall order.
However, Pye-Smith suggests there are reasons to be optimistic although solutions are dependent on international climate change negotiations and national policymaking recognising the threat.
“A failure to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and make the shift to climate-smart agriculture would put future food security at risk.
“This is one of the compelling reasons why agriculture would be at the heart of the international climate-change negotiations,” he says.
Agriculture emission fast facts
l Agriculture’s share of human- generated methane emissions is staked at 47 percent.
l Agriculture clearance is thought to account for three-quarters of all tropical deforestation.
l Sub-Saharan crop yields will have to increase by 230 percent by 2050.
l About 500 million hectares of agricultural land is moderately or severely degraded in Africa.
l About 33 percent of all cropland is devoted to growing animal feed.
Climate Smart Agriculture – what is it?
l Harvesting rainwater.
l Livestock farmers need to change feeding regimes and improve pasture management.
l Growing crops under glass could prove to be one of the best ways to adapt to climate change and variability.
l Reduce post-harvest losses.
l Adopt crop rotation, mulching and use of nitrogen-fixing legumes.
l Targeted use of mineral fertilisers and efficient water and waste management.
l New development to take place on degraded land.
l Preparing land using minimum tillage and disturbance of the soils.
l Covered soil with organic matter.
l Use agriculture to generate energy as well as carbon sinks.
