September 30, 2009
Group calls for aid to avert climate change-caused farm crisis
Unless dramatic efforts are undertaken to improve farming technology available to producers in developing countries, wheat, rice and other key food staples will wither as the earth's temperature rises from greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a report released Tuesday (September 29) by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
"Populations in the developing world, which are already vulnerable and food insecure, are likely to be the most seriously affected," said the authors of the report, which was prepared for the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
While some crops in North America might actually see some benefit from rising temperatures over the next 40 years, the report said, farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia will suffer sharp yield losses.
"Agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Higher temperatures eventually reduce yields of desirable crops while encouraging weed and pest proliferation."
IFPRI didn't offer detailed solutions, but broadly advised that much investment will be needed by wealthy countries to improve farming practices such as boosting yields and improving rural infrastructure.
"One of the key lessons of the Green Revolution is that improved agricultural productivity, even if not targeted to the poorest of the poor, can be a powerful mechanism for alleviating poverty indirectly by creating jobs and lowering food prices," the report concluded. "Productivity enhancements that increase farmers' resilience in the face of climate-change pressures will likely have similar poverty-reducing effects."
The combined price tag for developed countries around the world to prepare farmers for the coming climate changes, IFPRI officials said Tuesday, is about US$7 billion per year.
Without the investment, the ranks of malnourished children will grow significantly over the years as key bread and rice become more scarce and expensive in developing countries. IFPRI predicted that, unless significant improvements are made in the way the poorest farmers produce their crops, 25 million "more children will be malnourished in 2050 due to effects of climate change."
