Climate change threatens world food security — FAO

BALI, Indonesia, Dec 13 (KUNA) — The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday warned of the danger of climate change on the world’s agriculture saying it is a major challenge to food security.
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said at the UN Climate Change Conference here that climate change in many countries caused adverse negative effects, adding that hunger will increase unless immediate action is taken.
FAO’s 2006 State of Food Insecurity Report estimated that 854 million people worldwide suffer from hunger and malnutrition, including 820 million in developing countries, he pointed out.
He announced that the FAO will organize, next June, a high-level conference to address world food security and the challenges of climate change and bioenergy.
Diouf stressed on the importance of establishing warning systems, adopting strategies, disaster risk-reduction activities and hunger safety-net initiatives.
He said deforestation caused about 17 percent of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
Financial funds for environmental services and carbon conservation and sequestration must be provided for farmers living in fragile ecosystems, Diouf emphasized.
FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the UN World Food Program (WFP), are ready to support nations, UN member countries and others, on the climate change issue, he said.
The conference, to be held in Rome from June 3 to 5, 2008, will address the challenges caused by climate change on the world food security.