Kofi Annan sounds climate warning

Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has warned that failure by Africa to adopt new agricultural technologies would result in food shortages on the continent as a result of climate change.

Annan was speaking on the sidelines of the COP17 climate-change conference in Durban yesterday.

He said developed countries should honour their commitments to contribute $100-billion by 2020 to the Green Climate Fund to assist developing countries introduce new green technologies.

"We must emphasise," he said, "the importance of climate-resilient agricultural policies as part of the climate challenge.

"For too long climate change has been sidelined from climate-change discussions. This is despite compelling evidence that climate change causes a real threat to agricultural production, including nutrition security, particularly in Africa," said Annan

He said that one in seven people worldwide did not have enough food and the situation was likely to worsen because of climate change.

"The world needs to increase food production to meet the demands of a growing population. [This is] a threat to Africa, which does not grow enough food to feed its own people," he said.

If the right policies were adopted and funded, "climate-resilient agriculture will help Africa adapt to the effects of climate change", he said.

Annan launched the Early Action on Climate-Smart Agriculture campaign with President Jacob Zuma.

Zuma said agricultural production must increase to feed the growing global population.

"Food security, poverty and climate change are closely linked and should not be considered separately. Climate-smart agriculture offers a 'triple win' for food security, adaptation and mitigation," Zuma said.

Farmers should be at the centre of the transformation of the agriculture sector and governments should promote new farming methods, he said.

"Evidence suggests that market incentives and the right mix of policy instruments can improve sustainable farming practices and farmers' incomes.

"Governments should consider promoting organic farming systems.

"Organic agriculture has a smaller footprint on the natural-resource base, and on the health of agricultural workers than conventional agriculture.

"Several studies show that the use of organic methods of farming by small producers in developing countries can lead to an increase in crop yields and thus enhance food security among the poor," said Zuma.