15 September 2011 | Linton Nightingale
COP17, Food and agriculture, Africa

 

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane (South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister).

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, is hoping that November’s COP 17 will culminate with a commitment to providing farmers throughout the globe with the technological support needed to maintain environment friendly agricultural practices.

The South African Minister, speaking to key African ministers and delegates in Johannesburg, added that if achieved then the future of global food security would be greatly enhanced. A pre-COP 17 conference has been set up by Africa’s Agricultural Ministers to provide a course of action in achieving this goal that will then be presented at the main event.

Ms Nkoana-Mashabane stressed to African ministers that any brief notes in reference to climate change’s impact on farming would not be sufficient. To ensure that their voice is heard she is demanding a detailed plan of how to lobby their cause of addressing the link between food security and poverty alleviation to the broader debate of climate change. So far previous COP conferences have failed to produce any text of any kind that considers the impact of climate change on global agriculture.

In sub-Saharan Africa agriculture contributes up to 30 percent of the total GDP and is responsible for nearly 70 percent of regional employment, with 80 percent of this population inhabiting rural areas, agriculture is vital in Africa’s future, Nkoana-Mashabane explains. With Africa expected to be the worst affected by global warming and climate variations, despite only contributing less than 4% of global emissions, Nkoana-Mashabane is demanding ministers not to miss this opportunity to make a difference.

Tina Joemat-Petterson, South Africa’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister, also emphasises the significance of the conference in regards to the future of agriculture on the continent. “Climate Smart Agriculture is a new concept ... defined by the UN’s Food and Agricultural organisation (FAO) as production systems that sustainably increases productivity, resilience through adaptation, reduces green house gases and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals,” she said. “It is my hope that important issues such as communication on climate concepts are consolidated to ensure that farmers are in a position to mitigate against the risk associated with climatic challenges,” added the minister. The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December 2011.
 

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