Although deforestation and forest degradation contribute 17 per cent of emissions annually, while agriculture is responsible for nearly 14 per cent, farm communities and those deriving their livelihoods from forests can help combat climate change, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.
Using more efficient crop varieties, better control of wildfires, improved natural resource management, biogas capture from animal manure, restoring land by controlled grazing, organic soil management, conservation agriculture, and agro-forestry systems are promising measures that should be more vigorously promoted to reduce green house gases from agriculture and forestry and enhance adaptation to climate changes.
The financing should prioritize emission-reducing schemes that simultaneously help boost food and energy security, slash poverty and promote the sustainable use of natural resources. “Forestry and agriculture offer many opportunities for such ‘win-win’ measures,” said Alexander Müller, FAO Assistant Director-General.
He cautioned that immediate action must be taken to avert surging hunger in the poorest nations and avert a humanitarian disaster.
Nearly half of land biomass is either directly or indirectly managed by farmers, foresters and herders, and they must be mobilized to rein in emissions and ensure that carbon remains in soil and plants.