Nearly 1 billion people live in countries where food production is threatened by climate change, says the World Resources Institute in a report that advocates “transformative adaptation” or large-scale change. “Risks are especially high in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and small island developing nations and for vulnerable groups such as women, youth, indigenous peoples and people living in poverty, among others,” said the report, “Food Systems at Risk,” released on Wednesday.
At present, agricultural adaptation to climate change has focused on incremental steps such as finding hardier varieties of crops, changing planting dates or thriftier use of irrigation water. Transformative adaptation, such as introduction of new crops when traditional crops falter or switching to aquaculture when water becomes too salty for rice paddies, “is an essential complement,” said the report, based on three years of research.
“Promoting and supporting resilience will improve the odds of reducing risk and improving sustainability,” said the WRI, with the impact showing up over the short term (less than five years), medium term (five to 10 years) and beyond. The report recommended three principles for governments, funders and researchers to factor climate impacts and risks into decision making. The three priorities were expanded research and development to identify long-lasting solutions; improved coordination in policy and investment decisions; and mobilization of resources to accelerate transformation.
“Given the challenges that the global food system faces, a massive increase in funding for agricultural adaptation is urgently needed, for both incremental and transformative approaches,” said the report. The potential of transformative agriculture to minimize damage from climate change “makes it likely to pay off over the long term.”