This article analyses why progress on agriculture at Durban was slow, and summarises the recommendations of the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change (see FCRN summary) as to what is needed for agriculture now.
These are the suggestions:
- Integrate food security and sustainable agriculture into global and national policies, including adaptation and mitigation;
- Increase global investment in sustainable agriculture and food systems;
- Sustainably intensify agricultural production while reducing emissions and other environmental impacts;
- Target programs and policies to assist vulnerable populations;
- Reshape food access and consumption to ensure that basic nutritional needs are met and to foster healthy and sustainable eating habits;
- Reduce food loss and waste across supply chains; and
Create comprehensive information systems on human and ecological dimensions.
It concludes by suggesting a range of ways in which the science community can help contribute to policy progress on agricultural adaptation and mitigation.
Reference
Beddington J R, Asaduzzaman M, Clark M E, Fernández Bremauntz A, Guillou M D, Howlett D J B, Jahn M M, Lin E, Mamo T, Negra C, Nobre C A, Scholes R J, van Bo N and Wakhungu J (2012). What Next for Agriculture After Durban? Science, 335 289-290
You can read the paper here (subscription access only). CCAFS, the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security programme of the CGIAR reports on the paper here.
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