Climate Smart Agriculture

Published on 8th September 2014

It is scientifically well established that, by and large, we are what we eat. It is not every food that is nutritious for the balanced development of the human body. As a matter of fact, obesity levels are increasing worldwide. This problem led the World Health Organization (WHO) to formally recognize it as a global epidemic in 1997. 

In  2014,  a  study  published  in  Lancet,  the  highly  respected  British  medical  journal, estimated that the number of overweight adults in the world was 2.1 billion in 2013, as compared with 857 million in 1980. Furthermore, it is established that 2% of the world population is currently “chronically malnourished” and that 5 million children die yearly from “causes related to lack of nutrition.” Also,  today,  2  billion  people  are  suffering  from  hidden  hunger  i.e.  Most get enough calories from food but not enough vitamins and minerals. This is why there is the strong call for nutrition-sensitive diets.  Again,  the  science  is  that  without  adequate  vitamins  and  minerals,  women  risk  death during childbirth, and children risk stunted development with low IQs. 

Unfortunately,  in  the  face  of  these  challenges  to the  quality  of  the  foods  we eat,  the world is facing a rapidly-increasing population. The world population is projected to top the 9 billion mark by mid-century. The population of Africa alone is expected to double to about 2 billion by 2050. Estimates are that world food production has to be increased by 70% over current levels to meet global food demands by mid-century.  Faced  with  these  daunting  challenges,  humanity  should  use  agriculture  and  food systems to provide the nutritious diets needed for rounded development of the human body. 

Agriculture  is  both  a  victim  and  a  culprit  when  it  comes  to  Climate  Change. It is learnt that  agriculture contributes about  14%  of  the  greenhouse  gas  emissions  which cause climate  change,  and  also  that the  deforestation  and  land  degradation  that  are associated  with  uninformed agricultural and  other practices, also cause  an  additional 17% of the increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.  However, Agriculture is now under sustained threat from Climate Change and hence the call for Climate-Smart Agriculture. 

Climate-Smart Agriculture is an efficient and effective intervention for achieving food productivity  and security  objectives  and  development  goals  at  the  same  time,  even  as the world struggles to contain the effects of Climate Change. It is being advocated for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is to ensure  that  agricultural production  and  productivity  are  enhanced  for  food  security  and  income-sustainability. Secondly, it is to boost resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems.  And thirdly, it is to mitigate agriculture’s contribution to global warming.

In practicing Climate-Smart Agriculture, the agricultural sector stands to  capture synergies  that  exist  among  activities  to  develop  more  productive  food  systems, and improve natural resource management. 

However, it must be noted that achieving the four dimensions of food security which are: availability  of; and  access  to  food; utilization of  food  for  adequate  nutrition; and stability  of food  supply, must be  the overall  goal  of  food  production and  distribution systems. 

If  food  is  taken  to  ensure  nourishment,  and  agriculture  is perceived  to  provide  the  food that  humanity needs,  then,  the  fundamental  purpose  of agricultural systems is to ensure proper nutritional outcomes. Therefore the time has come for Agriculture not only to be climate-smart, but also to be nutrition-smart.  A  scientist of  the  International  Food  Policy  Research  Institute in  Washington,  D.C. is quoted  to  have  written  recently  that:  “Agriculture  must  become  nutrition-smart.

Nutrition-sensitivity is not enough.  Our basic food systems  have  to be  optimized  to provide  the  greatest  amount  of  nutrients  per  square  foot  that  can  be  produced sustainably, especially in the face of climate change.” He continues that; “We need to shift  away  from  excessive  reliance  on  mono-cropped  calories  by  also  investing  in diverse  food  systems  that  integrate  staple  cereals  and  grains  with  other  types  of nourishing food.”

Thus, the agricultural sector and food systems face a massive double challenge today:

a)  Feeding the world sustainably, and

b) Feeding  it  a  healthy  and  nutrient-rich  diet  in  the  face  of  changing  climatic conditions.    

In Africa, where hunger and malnutrition levels are highest, recent research has shown that  we  can  develop  and  deliver  staple  cereals  and  root  crops that  have  both  higher yields  and  higher levels  of  micronutrients.  With the help of Science and Technology, work is underway to improve production and availability of nutrient-rich legumes, fruits, vegetables, fish and livestock.  

Fortunately,  under  the  auspices  of  institutions  such  as  FAO, IFPRI,  CAADP and  other research  outfits  in  various organizations  such  as  AGRA  and  universities, research  into plant  breeding is  being  intensified  to  produce  seeds  and  tubers rich  in  essential nutrients  for  farmers  to  plant. For instance, on the African continent now, enriched sweet potato is fast gaining prevalence. 

Further, it  is  reported  that  since  last  year,  the  first  high-yielding  rice  varieties  in Bangladesh that are rich in zinc have been made available to farmers… and that in the case  of  zinc  rice,  there  will  soon  be  varieties  that  can  provide  up  to  80  percent  of  an adult woman’s or child’s daily zinc needs – 35% more than ordinary rice varieties.  

In pursuit of Nutrition-Smart Agriculture, policy should be directed to encourage plant-breeders to work  with  nutritionists  to  determine  the  nutrient  levels that  must  be  bred into new seed varieties to have a measurable impact on improving nutrition and public health.   

In the face of Climate Change, Agriculture has to be many steps ahead of the curve. The conjunction of  Climate-Smart  and  Nutrition-Smart  Agriculture  underpins  sustainable food  systems  for  improved  quality  of  life  of  mankind. Realizing this synergy  calls  for purposeful  investments  which  cannot  be  realized  without  sustained  public  policy  that will empower the private sector to enhance agriculture at all levels, including plantation-level, commercial and smallholder agriculture. 

This  should  include  policies  on extension  advice, enriched  soils, improved  seedlings, efficient  irrigation  systems, mechanization, marketing  information, credit  availability, the use of ICT, and information on nutrition science on how to prepare food so as not to destroy the nutrients in food. 

Given the urgency and importance of the realization of these two objectives - Climate-Smart Agriculture and Nutrition-Smart Agriculture - sustained communication to inform and educate the peoples of the world is crucial, especially in the developing parts.

By H.E. John Kufuor,
Former President of the Republic of Ghana.


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