Manzoor Dar and Showkat Waza   |  Aug 16, 2017

Proven technologies, policies, and institutional resources need to be collectively adopted to ensure the mitigation of stress-driven shocks at different levels.

Figure: Dr. Manzoor Dar

The resource-poor farmers residing in stress-prone areas form the section of our society that is highly vulnerable to poverty and hunger. Environmental stresses such as drought, flood, and salinity frequently destroy their food crops, forcing them to leave their agricultural fields fallow. These environmental conditions affect the poorest farmers—women, children, and the elderly in particular—disproportionately, causing them to eat less, withdraw their children from school, migrate for employment, and sell assets to meet immediate needs. They frequently face chronic hunger, malnutrition, and poor health, and they lack the resilience to cope with economic setbacks and natural disasters. Moreover, recurring environmental stresses reduce the propensity of farmers to adopt new and profitable technologies, thus further increasing their vulnerability and decreasing their capability to overcome hunger and poverty.

Investments, innovations, and empowering the world’s most vulnerable populations are needed to obtain a global food system that adapts to climate change without disturbing the sustainability of our natural resource base. The present global need is to cope with the menace of environmental stresses so that everyone has reliable access to a sufficient quantity, quality, and diversity of food.

See more: http://ricetoday.irri.org/helping-satisfy-the-food-needs-of-every-individual-through-science-and-technology/