World Food Day

‘Climate is changing: Food and Agriculture must too’

Today marks the celebration of World Food Day. Every year, World Food Day is observed on epa1October 16. This year’s theme ‘Climate is changing: food and agriculture must too’ recognizes how climate change affects agriculture and the steps that must be taken to adapt agricultural practices to the changing climate in order to feed the growing world population.

Water scarcity and Agriculture
A key component of producing food is water. Water is needed by crops and animals alike. On the other hand, one of the major effects of climate change is an increase in temperature. epa2This means that our water resources would be threatened since higher temperatures would lead to a decline in the amount of water that is available to us. Increased cases of droughts would mean that soils would lose their moisture content and become drier. Additionally, higher temperatures could cause animals and plants to be subjected to heat stress, which would lead to a decrease in productivity.
Another effect of climate change is increased strength and incidences of storms. This would especially affect coastal areas that are reliant on agriculture as storms would damage farm lands and render them incapable of producing. Increased rainfall would result in flooding in other areas, resulting in decreased production from these areas.
Changing weather patterns would affect normal growing seasons and it would be difficult to predict the best time to plant. All these effects highlight the fact that agriculture will be one epa3of the sectors to be hit hardest by climate change.
Agriculture and climate change, the flip side
Ironically, while agriculture will be largely affected by climate change, it is a major contributor to this phenomenon. Agriculture contributes to the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, and methane into the atmosphere which compounds the problem. However, as this year’s World Food Day theme points out, agriculture can adapt to aid in reducing climate change, which in essence means that the sector would be saving itself from related effects.

Some tips for farmers to consider:
• Use animal manure as a fertiliser to reduce the dependence on manufactured fertilisers.
• Apply fertiliser on damp days; this will increase absorption and reduce evaporation.
• Practice crop rotation and use crops that fix nitrogen, e.g. beans, to increase nitrogen uptake.
• For livestock farmers, consider installing a biogas set-up to help reduce methane emissions while also obtaining biogas for electricity on the farm or for cooking.
• Practice composting! To reduce food waste that will be improperly disposed or end up in the landfill, set up a compost bin/heap to produce compost which could be added to your plants.
• Manage the use of water on the farm. Ensure plants are not overwatered or water troughs are not left to overflow.
• Keep up to date on climate change. Because climate change affects us all and is a threat to livelihoods, farmers especially should want to keep informed to find out how to adjust their actions to aid in reducing this problem.
Climate Smart Agriculture
In Guyana, most of our fertile lands are located on the coast which is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, especially floods. In recognition of this the Ministry of Agriculture is promoting Climate Smart agriculture. This approach has two parts. The first is to adapt to the impacts of climate change on agriculture; and the second is to apply measures to reduce the contribution of the agriculture to climate change. Climate Smart agriculture aims not only to ensure that there is food on your table but also to protect human health and the environment. So this “World Food Day”, the EPA encourages farmers and gardeners to examine their agricultural practices and exercise wisdom. Remember better environmental practices will reduce the negative effects on the environment and hence will safeguard your livelihood in the long run. Let’s not focus only on the economics but also on putting healthy and safe foods on our tables.
For more information on Climate change and agriculture visit the FAO’s website at http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/2016/theme/en/.

Kids’ Activity
Identify at least six differences between these two scenes. Feel free to cut out the image and colour.
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You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com

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