Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Put Farming First
By Thomas Rosswall
http://en.cop15.dk/blogs/view+blog?blogid=2674
Copenhagen Official Site
25 November, 2009

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to increase from 6 to 9 billion 
people. Demand for carbon-intensive foods such as meats and oils are also 
expected to increase.

Meanwhile, yields from key staple crops are expected to decline, especially 
in many of the poorest countries, due to climate change. Wheat yields in 
sub-Saharan Africa are expected to fall by 34% and rice output in South Asia 
by 14%.

In an earlier post on this blog, Kanayo Nwanze, IFAD’s President, outlines 
the link between food security and climate change. Rather than repeating his 
message, I instead will focus on how this triple challenge of food security, 
rural livelihoods development, and environmental sustainability can be 
incorporated into future climate change strategies.

Silos are for farmers, not for climate thinkers

Climate change impacts every link in the agricultural supply chain. 
Smallholder African farmers already find new weather patterns undermining 
their traditional knowledge of when to plant and how to cultivate their 
crops. Consumers, particularly in the developing world, still face high food 
prices and the threat of further price increases in the future. Suppliers 
work around poor transport networks and unharmonised regulatory regimes. 
Scientists persevere in making their research relevant across disciplines and 
geographies as well as to farmers and policymakers.

The scale of this climate challenge requires all of these groups to work 
together with policymakers to find common objectives and solutions. Farming 
First is a good example of an initiative which is already acting on this 
goal. Farming First is made up of 124 organisations representing the world’s 
farmers, scientists, engineers and industry.

Farmers need roads; climate thinkers need roadmaps

Agriculture generally, and farmers especially, are vital to mitigate and 
adapt to climate change. Farmers are willing to play their part by adopting 
new practices which deliver our growing food needs in a carbon-efficient 
manner, but they cannot do so without our support.

Farmers cannot get to market without roads and other vital tools and 
technologies. Effective infrastructure can help farmers improve their 
productivity, preventing deforestation and protecting biodiversity while 
supporting food security. We must also invest in knowledge sharing by 
creating a dedicated adaptation fund for agriculture which is accessible to 
farmers’ organisations in developing countries.

Addressing climate change through agriculture is certainly not beyond our 
capability, but it may well be beyond our current capacity. Farmers need our 
long-lasting commitment if they are to achieve their true potential for 
sustainability based on the best local approaches.

The seeds of change must be nurtured and disseminated

Many of the solutions for helping farmers address climate change already 
exist. These successes need to be scaled up, and they must reach the farmers 
who need them the most. In addition to investments in road infrastructure 
linking farms to markets, solutions include integrated crop and pest 
management, no-till agriculture, intercropping, improved seeds, fertilizer 
best management practices and investment in storage facilities protecting 
crops after harvest.

But we must also use our current field of knowledge as the basis for further 
research and innovation to invent the necessary adaptation and mitigation 
solutions for the future. For instance, researchers are beginning to use new 
satellite technology to determine what type of farming techniques are being 
used. When matched with other agronomic and meteorological information, this 
mapping system can determine the amount of carbon being captured in the soil 
(the basis for a voluntary agricultural carbon trading scheme) and can supply 
farmers with more locally appropriate advice such as when to apply inputs, in 
what quantity to apply them, and when to harvest.

Copenhagen leaders should embrace the advances being made in measuring soil’s 
potential in sequestering carbon by including agriculture within multilateral 
financial mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint 
Implementation (JI). They should also advocate for further robust 
methodologies and field-testing to overcome remaining uncertainties around 
measurement, reporting and verification. At this critical and fragile 
interface of economic markets, our environment and human welfare, science has 
much to contribute. Let us make good use of it.

Thomas Rosswall is the former Director of the International Council for 
Science (ICSU). ICSU is one of the founding supporter organisations of 
Farming First. Mr. Rosswall is currently the Chairman of the CGIAR Challenge 
Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture & Food Security. He writes here in 
his capacity as a spokesperson for Farming First.