Earth Equity News

Turning Agriculture from Problem to Solution. By Mantoe Phakathi, IPS, 12/5/10. “Global agriculture contributes in the region of 17% to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, but according to the World Bank, climate smart agriculture techniques can both reduce emissions and meet the challenge of producing enough food for a growing world population. ‘As much as agriculture is part of the problem, it is also part of the solution,’ said Inger Anderson, the World Bank's vice president on sustainable development. Anderson was speaking to agriculture, food security and climate change experts at Agriculture and Rural Development Day, a side event at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico on Dec. 4. Agriculture experts are punting a scenario in which farming delivers a ‘triple win’, sequestering carbon in soil and biomass, gaining greater resilience to drought and higher temperatures, and improve food security and farmers' incomes. Achieving this miracle will require varying interventions in different areas, but examples can already be found.”