Initiative underlines agriculture’s essential role in post-Paris climate action

Figure: Landhoo, Maldives. The new project will help small island developing states mitigate and adapt production to changing climate conditions, and make farming practices overall more efficient.

FAO 17 November 2016, Rome -- Recognizing the disproportionate burden that climate change places on small island developing states (SIDS), FAO will support six African island nations in their efforts to make their agriculture more resilient to climate shocks and boost economic development, the agency said today.

The $1.5 million project -- funded through the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund - will focus on a variety of activities to mitigate and adapt production to changing climate conditions, and make farming practices overall more efficient.

Farmers in Cabo Verde, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, and Seychelles will benefit from training and knowledge exchanges on climate-smart food production, as well as ways to create viable market opportunities for nutritious food.

Among these climate-smart agriculture practices are the use of a range of easy-to-grow crops of high nutritional value that will make production more resilient to adverse conditions. Other initiatives focus on innovative ways to increase food production. These include the introduction of fish aggregation devices - also known as fish magnets - to attract more fish to catch areas and increase the availability of nutritious seafood in local markets.

On the marketing side, the project includes activities to help smallholders identify opportunities to enter high-value niche markets through Fair Trade or Organic labelling, to ensure the project is sustainable. To promote regional agricultural trade initiatives, the project will focus on strengthening regulations and agreements between importers and exporters. The project will also work with local government to identify policy opportunities, including ways to stimulate healthy nutrition trough food-based dietary guidelines and nutrition education programming.

In all, the project aims to increase the countries' capacities, from the farm-level to the policy level, to reduce the double burden of malnutrition: tackling persistent hunger, on one hand, and rising obesity, on the other.

See more: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/453612/icode/