Farmers forge ahead as the UNFCCC fails to step up

Farmers are already adapting and learning to produce more with less.
Farmers are already adapting and learning to produce more with less.

So far, it is the farmers who are taking the lead on climate smart agriculture, supported by scientists and the development community. It’s time for the global policy community to step up.

Agriculture produces over half of the world’s non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. Its potential for mitigation is huge. Many agricultural groups, insist that agriculture must be included in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) if that framework is to have serious impact. As FANRPAN say: “No Agriculture, No Deal”.

But mitigation isn’t the only answer. Last year, total flows of global climate finance were around USD 364 billion. A staggering 95% of that went to mitigation, leaving only 5% for investment in adaptation (Buchner et al 2012).

Read the full story by Lucy Holt on the CCAFS blog.

Photo: World Bank Collection