Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Security: An Analysis

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1 Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Security: An Analysis B.N. Lalithchandra 1 1 (Assistant Professor, Emeralds Advanced Institute of Management Studies, Kodandaramapuram) Abstract: The population projections for 2050 revealed that world population will increase by 2 billion and most of these people live in developing countries. The key message of State of Food Insecurity in the World calculated that hunger remains an everyday challenge for almost 795 million people worldwide, including 780 million in developing countries, puts a heavy pressure on the existing crop lands to produce more per unit of inputs for ensuring not only food security but also keeping the quality of natural resources used in the production of food on a sustainable basis. Since reducing undernourishment and provision of food security is considered as the indicators of economic developments, efforts are to be made to increase agricultural production by 60.0 per cent in the coming decade. The efforts directed towards these goals must be green, clean and resilient and this transformation needs a mechanism by which natural resource base become a sustainable one. Hence, it is inevitable to transform agriculture to provide the basis for economic growth, poverty reduction and food security. These goals are to be achieved by encountering the present climate change which is producing disastrous effects to crops, crop production, food security and health of the living beings and quality of natural resources. In this context we feel that Climate-Smart Agriculture, which should be sustainable one, only can save the people as well as the natural resources. This paper aims at this direction and makes an attempt to explain how agriculture can be made a smart, green and clean one and how to transform its vital components so that per capita availability of nutritious food will be available for all people, particularly to women and the disadvantaged social groups around the globe. Keywords: Green Growth, Input efficiency, GHG Emissions, Food Security I.INTRODUCTION Climate change has become a threat to the life on the earth, affecting millions of people and animals in particular, putting food and water security at risk. It is also threatening agricultural supply chain in developing countries and it is estimated that without further action to reduce extreme poverty, provide access to basic services and strengthen resilience, climate impacts could pushan additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030 ( World Bank,2012). The environmentalists, economics, demographists, zoologists and social activists are mourning that climate change has been presenting enormous challenges to opportunities for development and making it essential that climate and development should be tackled in an integrated manner. The World Bank Group has significantly scaled multiple sectors and increased its impact in countries through direct investments, advisory services and the shaping of new and innovative solutions. The World Bank Group has prepared climate-smart economic activity profiles and investment plans to be developed by 2020 for atleast 40 countries for delivering at scale with a focus on carbon capture practices, high efficiency and low energy-use, irrigation programs and improving livestock productivity. The World Bank estimates for South Asia region show that extreme vulnerability is evident through sea level rise, floods and declining agricultural productivity and low energy access in rural areas. According to the estimates, climate change could bring 62 million people below the extreme poverty line in South Asian countries by 2030, mostly caused by agricultural impacts. Keeping in view these climate impacts, the World Bank has laid out an action plan for a new kind of development path one that supports growth while focusing more on sustainability and ensuring that the environment is the key enabler for green and more inclusive growth. This strategy has articulated a new vision for A Green, Clean and Resilient World for All. Green World Clean World Resilient World Page 32

2 The word Green refers to a world in which natural resources oceans, land air, water and forests are sustainably managed and conserved to improve livelihoods and ensure food security. It is a world in which healthy ecosystems increase economic returns from the activities they support. Growth strategies are focused on overall wealth rather than on gross domestic product. Clean refers to a low pollution, low emission world in which clean air, water and oceans enable people to lead healthy and productive lives. Resilient means being prepared for shocks and adapting effectively to climate change. Healthy and well-managed ecosystems are more resilient and so play a key role in reducing vulnerability to climate change impacts. The present paper aims at analysis of the modern cultivation method which is climate resilient and ecofriendly which ensures its sustainability and also food security. This type of modern methods of cultivation are to be implemented in India to produce more quantity of foodgrains so that per capita availability of food grains increases and people may have an opportunity to consume more quantity of balanced diet and become healthy. II. CLIMATE CHANGE AND GREEN GROWTH In recent years, it has been recognized that economic growth cannot be sustained without dramatic increase in natural resource productivity and reduction in carbon emissions. As a result of the clear evidence of negative climatic change impacts today and the potentially devastating impact in the future, green growth has become a precondition for a stable, vibrant and inclusive global economy. Though there is no universally agreed definition for green growth, it can be defined as fostering economic growth and development, while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide resources and environmental services, on which our well-being relies. It is argued that economic growth should result into efficient use of natural resources, minimization of pollution and adverse environmental impacts and this growth should be inclusive in nature, which acknowledges three pillars economic, social and environmental of sustainable development. To sum up, green growth is economic progress that fosters environmentally sustainable, low carbon and socially inclusive development and it is a pattern of development that decouples economic growth from carbon emissions, pollution and resources use and promotes growth through the creation of new environment- friendly products, industries and business models that also improve people's quality of life. The OECD (2014) has designed the following six indicators for communicating the progress towards green growth: 1. Carbon Productivity 2. Material Productivity 3. Environmentally Adjusted Multifactor Productivity 4. Natural Resource Index 5. Changes in Land Use and Cover 6. Population Exposure to Air Pollution A central element of green growth is the environmental and resource efficiency of production and consumption, and how this changes with time, place and across sectors. Understanding these trends, together with the underlying factors, is an essential part of monitoring the transition to green growth. Progress toward green growth can be monitored by relating the use of environmental services in production to the output generated. Environmental services include natural resources and materials, including energy, and pollutants and other residuals with their implied use of environmental services like the atmosphere. Climate Change and Agriculture: Agriculture and food systems not only utilize a very diverse range of resources but also produce a very diverse range of outputs. They provide physical products but also income and employment for farmers, in agroindustry and as a driver of the non-farm rural economy. From a food security perspective, these three outputs are equally important. It implies a more complex conception of resource efficiency, by which employment, which is formally an input in pure economic terms, can be seen as a key output. Particularly, agricultural activities have direct impacts on the environment, from local to global scales; agriculture influences essentially all major environmental issues soil quality, water quality and availability, air quality, carbon pollution, deforestation and biodiversity loss. It is a known fact that agriculture is climate-dependent activity and is typically a critical part of the economic activity of both developing and developed countries Climate change is expected to result in loss of crop productivity, fisheries optimality and milk yield. Agricultural production is directly dependent on climatic changes rainfall and temperature and availability of irrigation water and weather, is an area of widely studies sector in the context of climate change. Crop production and food accessibility are the key elements for determining whether an individual, a household or even a given region is food secured. These elements are affected by climate change. Crop production does not only look at how the crops we consume are produced, but it is also an employer of labour where majority of the workers depend on farming for their livelihoods. Therefore, any change affecting the crop production will have significant ripple effects that results not only in the reduction of the available food, Page 33

3 unemployment of cultivators and agricultural labour but also increases market prices in a given region as shown in the following diagram: Figure-1: The Interactions of Climate Change with Crop Production and Food Security Climate Change Low Crop Production & Productivity High Food Prices Un employment &Food Insecurity Malnutrition Poverty Ill-health Starvation It is evident that agricultural production is directly dependent on climate change and weather and it is one of the widely studies sector in the context of climate change. The possible changes in temperature, precipitation and CO2 emissions are expected to significantly impact crop growth (Rohit Shaw Kumar and Harinder Raj Gautam, 2014; UN Environmental Protection Agency, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (2011). It was observed that climate change exerts disastrous impacts on the economic viability of agricultural sector and it is expected to be on the quality of agriculture produce and thereby not only on employment of labour, farm incomes but also indirectly on health outcomes. The following are the two ways to climate change can affect the food production system. Direct way Changes through temperature, water balance and atmospheric composition as well as Indirect way extreme weather events Changes in the distribution, frequently and severity of pest and disease outbreaks, incidence of fire and in soil properties. These direct and indirect effects on agricultural system will not only responding to climate change but through fluctuating yield have a negative impact on production and distribution. In this context, it is to be remembered that studies of how climate change might affect agriculture generally look only at crop yields the amount of product harvested from a given unit of land. But climate change may also influence how much land people choose to farm and the number of crops they plant each growing season. A new study takes all of these variables into account, and suggests researchers may be underestimating the total effect of climate change on the world s food supply. (Kevin Stacey,2016). On the contrary it was also proved and estimated by Monitoring and Assessment of GHG Emissions and Mitigation Potential for Agriculture (FAO), a component of the MICCA programme of the FAO that agriculture is not only affected by climate change but it is also contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases. As far as global emissions from agriculture are concerned, Asia has a share of about 44 percent. In absolute terms, the emissions have been increasing over the last decades, very much in line with the increase of agricultural production in the region. Livestock, including enteric fermentation and manure, is the biggest emitter, covering about half of total agricultural emissions. This is followed by paddy rice (20%) and the emissions from synthetic fertilizers (18%). (FAO,2015). It was also identified that agriculture, forestry and other land use activities (AFOLU) generate greenhouse gas emissions by as well as removals by sinks. It is the result of oxidation, photosynthesis and complex microbial processes associated to human management and disturbance of ecosystems. It was estimated that over the period , total AFOLU net emissions increased 8.0 per cent from an average of 7,497 Mt CO2 in 1990 s to an average of 8103 Mt CO2 in 2000 s (FAO,2011). It was also observed that they were the result of increases in agricultural emissions by 8.0 per cent (4613 Mt CO2 to 4984 Mt CO2) (FAO, 2014). In 2011, it was estimated that total annual emissions from agriculture were 5335 Mt CO2, which was higher than the decade average The regional trends revealed that Asia (44.0 percent) and the Americas (26.0 per cent) were the largest contributors to global emissions followed by Africa (15.0 per cent) and Europe (12.0 per cent) (FAO, 2013, 2014). Hence, it is highly essential that food security requires strengthening in: increasing sustainability, production, resilience to climate change, reducing emissions, and lowering global food waste and losses. For success with food security, we must rely on the strengths of all its stakeholders, frommarginal and small farmers to multinationals. Partnerships between the private sector, research institutions, civil society and governments assumes are crucial to feed the world s growing population in the face of the impacts of climate change. The primary solution for the negative impacts of the climate change, particularly for agriculture sector is nothing but to transform it into a Climate Smart, Sustainable and Resilient sector. Page 34

4 Climate-Smart Agriculture: Considering food security is overwhelmed by climate change, in 2012 FAO, the World Bank and several countries promoted the concept of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) at the first Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change. The Conference called for mobilizing CSA as a means to enhance agricultural productivity and incomes, resilience to climate change and where possible to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While work with CSA approaches is forging ahead in many parts of the world. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach that helps to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate. CSA aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes; adapting and building resilience to climate change; and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible. Increasing efficiency in the use of resources is also one of the driving principles of CSA. GHG emissions from agriculture are linked to its use of resources. The following three production factors have an important influence on total agricultural GHG emissions: Area, since converting land into cultivations would require either deforestation or grasslands being converted to croplands, which would induce higher CO2 emissions; Fertilizers, whose production is an important source of CO2 and which at the field level translate into nitrous oxide emissions; and Livestock, which is an important source of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Physical capital, such as buildings and machines are also a factor, both directly by energy use and indirectly by their production. Everything else being equal, increasing the efficiency in the use of one of these production factors decreases the emissions intensity of output. As irrigation often demands considerable energy, water efficiency is another key factor for increasing production, adapting to climate change and reducing emissions. Climate smart agriculture (CSA) is an integrative approach to address these interlinked challenges of food security and climate change, that explicitly aims for three objectives: Figure-2: Objectives of Climate-Smart Agriculture Objectives of Climate-Smart Agriculture Sustainably Increasing Agricultural Productivity to support equitable increases in farm incomes, food security and development Adapting and building resilience of agricultural and food security systems to climate change at multiple levels Reducing GHG Emissions from Agriculture including Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Climate Smart Agriculture invites to consider these three objectives together at different scales fromfarm to landscape at different levels fromlocal to global andover short and long time horizons, taking intoaccount national and local specificities and priorities. Main Elements and Components of Climate-smart Agriculture: Climate Smart Agriculture is not a set of practices that can be universally applied, but rather an approach that involves different elements embedded in local contexts. CSA relates to actions both on-farm and beyond the farm, and incorporates technologies, policies, institutions and investment. Different elements which can be integrated in climate-smart agricultural approaches include: Management of farms, crops, livestock, aquaculture and capture fisheries to manage resources better, produce more with less while increasing resilience Ecosystem and landscape management to conserve ecosystem services that are key to increase at the same time resource efficiency and resilience Services for farmers and land managers to enable them to implement the necessary changes In particular, the following are the key components of Climate-Smart Agriculture and explanations and approaches are provided to achieve or transformation to Climate-Smart Agriculture. Table-1: Consult FA0 (2013) Climate-Smart Agriculture: Source Book for a detailed discussion. S.No. Key Components Approaches and Explanations to achieve CSA Appropriate land use planning and decision making at the landscape level based 1 Management of on people-centered approach is necessary which results into sustainable Page 35

5 Landscapes 2 Efficient Water use Management 3 Soils Management 4 Sound Management of Energy 5 Sustainable Use of Genetic Resources agricultural development. Land scape in this context refers to an area perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors. Adoption of participating and people-centered approaches and management structures contributes to improving resilience of the agroecosystem and the livelihoods of the people who depend on it. A climate change adaptation strategy for agriculture needs a view through a Water Lens. Efficient use and management of water have a positive impact on climate change adaptation as they reduce vulnerability of local communities to shocks and increase their resilience. Healthy soil is fundamental for sustained agricultural productivity. Diversified production systems and land uses will conserve the diversity of plan and animal species and varieties in the agro-ecosystem and reduces farmers risk. Organic matter management creates productive soil that is rich in carbon. Energy-smart food system plays an important role in transitioning to Climate- Smart Agriculture. Dependence on fossil fuels poses a threat to food security and significantly contributes to climate change. These can be met by up scaling of energy-smart food systems which improve energy-efficiency, increase the use andproduction of renewable energy. Genetic resources for food and agriculture safeguard agricultural production and provide options for coping with climate change. For ex: seeds with high yields, better quality, and earlier maturity, higher resistance to diseases, insects and environmental stress. 6 Climate-Smart Production Systems 7 Climate-Smart Livestock 8 Climate-Smart Forestry 9 Climate-Smart Fisheries and aquaculture 10 Development of Inclusive Food Value Chains. Agriculture must move towards more efficient and resilient relying on natural auto-control mechanisms. There is the need for strong Government commitment to develop and/or adapt agricultural practices to take into consideration climate changes, its potential impact and the measures to be taken to minimize them. Livestock sector offers substantial potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Organic matter and nutrient management and income diversification are the mitigation options that this sector offers for the people, particularly the rural people with small and marginal holdings of lands. Livestock contribute to food security especially in marginal lands and act as source of energy, protein and micro-nutrients. Sustainable forest management provides a fundamental foundation for climate change mitigation and adaptation and contributes to food security. Treeecosystem services play a vital role in climate-change management by acting as green sinks. Low-input and fuel-efficient (LIFE) fishing ensures catching the fish with minimum consumption of fuel and impact on the environment. Integrated aquaculture systems that share the management of resources such as water and feeds with other farming systems is to be integrated into an agriculture or agroindustrial systems. This integrated approach acts as a mitigating approach against excess nutrients and organic matter generated by intensive aquaculture activities. Sustainable and inclusive food value chain approach is to be adopted for improving the performance along the value chain from input supply to food production to post-harvest handling and storage, processing, distribution, marketing and retail,consumption and disposal patterns of waste. This approach focuses on three sustainability dimensions economic, social and environmental which are directly linked to Climate-Smart Agriculture. III. CONCLUSION It is important to note in this context, besides the above discussed key components, that improving the small holder agricultural systems is central to achieve Climate-Smart Agriculture and the local institutions and their role in facilitating Climate-Smart Agriculture strategies. It requires changes in farming households behavior and strategies. The institutions that are operating locally have to produce and share information and help the farmers translate this information into knowledge. They have to support the poor farmers lacking access to credit and Page 36

6 regulated markets and also the people who are unable to adopt these techniques. Proper arrangements for access to agricultural markets, financial institutions and insurance schemes go a long way for achieving climate smart agriculture. Above all, public sector institutions have to play a crucial and leading role for the enforcement of related agricultural policies, proper distribution of agricultural subsidies, provision of research and extension services and collection of necessary and useful data relating to region/district-specific agricultural practices and should propagate how climate smart agriculture can be implemented. NGOs, Universities and research institutions have to play their own academic and research-role actively in providing social services, pre-training and service training for extension workers. The faculty in the Universities and related departments has to conduct research of their own to strengthen the climate smart agriculture initiatives. Let us hope that all these efforts propel the climate smart agricultural strategy and become instrumental in providing nutritious food and guaranteeing the food security to all people around the globe. IV.REFERENCES Dr. Mathew P. Reynolds (Ed) (2010) Climate Change and Crop Production, CIMMYT,Cambridge, USA ECLAC (2011) An Assessment of the Economic Impact of Climate Change on the Agriculture Sector in Guyana EPA (UNEPA) Climate impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply FAO (2010) Climate Smart Agriculture: Policies, Practices and Financing for Food Security, Adaptation, and Mitigation, Rome, Italy FAO (2013) Climate Smart Agriculture Source Book,UN FAO (2014) Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use, Emissions by Sources and Removals by Sinks , Working Paper Series-ESS/14-02 FAO (2015) Climate Smart Agriculture: A Call for Action: Synthesis of the Asia-Pacific RegiionalWorkshop,Bangkok, Thailand (18-20 June, 2015) Keynote address by Mr.FredSuijders, Senior Natural Resource Officer, FAO FAO (2016) Planning, Implementing and Evaluating Climate Smart Agriculture in Small Holder Farming Systems, The Experience of the MICCA Projects in Kenya and United Republic of Tanzania, 11 Mitigation of Climate change in Agriculture Series. Kevin Stacey (2016) Study suggests impact of climate change on agriculture may be underestimated, News from Brown University Khan, SA,SanjeevKumar,MZ, Hussainnad N. Karla (2011) Climate chage, Climate variability and Adaptation Strategies, Division of Environmental Sciences, IARI, PusaCampus, NewDelhi. Oyiga Benedict Chijiokeet. al(2011) Implication of Climate change on crop yield and food accessibility in Sub-Saharan Africa, Interdisciplinary Team Paper, Centre for Development Research, University of Bonn. Rohitashw Kumar and Harender Raj Gautam (2014) Climate Change and its Impact on Agricultural Productivity in India, Journal of Climatology and Weather Forecasting, Vol.2, Issue:,pp.1-3 The World Bank (2012) Toward a Green, Clean and Resilient World for All, a World Bank Group Environment Strategy , Washington DC The World Bank (2016) Climate Resilient and Low-Carbon Transport-Africa Climate Business Plan, Washington DC The World Bank (2016) Climate Change Action Plan ,Washington DC ValentinaMereu et.al (2015) Impact of Climate change on Staple food crop production in Nigeria, Climate Change, Vol.132, Issue 2, pp Agriculture has to address simultaneously three intertwined challenges: ensuring food security throughincreased productivity and income, adapting to climate change and contributing to climate change mitigation(fao, 2010a; Foresight, 2011a; Beddingtonet al., 2012a; Beddingtonet al., 2012b; HLPE, 2012a). Page 37