Adapting agriculture to changing landscapes (and climates)
Chase Sova and Andy Jarvis(University of Oxford; CIAT)
The most recent event, held in Poland this past December, offered no exception. Chants of “No agriculture, no deal” resonated along the Warsaw Stadium hallways, backed by a host of government, civil society and private sector actors.
Agriculture contributes to approximately 30% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when related deforestation and post-production steps are considered. Its treatment by the international community is thus of major consequence, both for mitigation and adaptation outcomes. Yet agricultural mitigation targets — and a binding agreement to back them — continue to be plagued by sticky issues around national security, terms of trade, and climate justice.
Most actors in the international arena have acknowledged the immediate and urgent adaptation needs of nearly 1.5 billion small-scale producers and have promised action. In fact, the world has become a testing ground for adaptation policies and projects in nearly all sectors.
For the full story by Chase Sova and Andy Jarvis, see the E-International Relations blog.
See related stories on the CCAFS blog:
The good, the bad and the ugly
New study models where agriculture is heading under climate change
Can climate-smart agriculture and forests work together at the landscape level?
Chase Sova is a visiting researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), a member of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, Environmental Change Institute (ECI). He works with CCAFS Theme 1: Adaptation to Progressive Climate Change.
Dr. Andy Jarvis is the Leader of the Decision and Policy Analysis Program in the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and is a Theme Leader for the Research Program for Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and is based in Cali, Colombia.
