Climate-Smart Agriculture: Helping the World Produce More Food

World Bank

2 Sept 201105:05

Summary

TLDRClimate change is severely impacting African agriculture, causing droughts, floods, and food scarcity. To meet the 2050 food demand, global production must rise by 70%. Climate-smart agriculture offers a solution, with practices like water harvesting, on-farm trees, mulching, and intercropping enhancing yields and resilience. These methods not only stabilize food production but also sequester carbon, providing carbon credits for farmers. Countries like Burkina Faso, China, and Brazil are already adopting these practices, making agriculture a part of the climate change solution.

Takeaways

🌍 Climate change is severely impacting agriculture, particularly in Africa, causing issues like droughts, floods, pests, and diseases.
🌾 Poorer crop yields due to climate change lead to less food and lower incomes, affecting the livelihoods of 2/3 of the world's poor who depend on the land.
🌧️ Erratic rainfall patterns have led to failed harvests, with some farmers experiencing up to a 40% reduction in their yields.
🌱 To feed the projected global population of 9 billion by 2050, food production must increase by 70%.
🌳 Deforestation, driven by activities like charcoal and firewood production, has led to the disappearance of forests and a decrease in rainfall.
🌱 Climate smart agriculture offers a solution with practices that increase yields, adapt to climate changes, and store carbon in plants and soil.
💧 Water harvesting and on-farm trees are examples of climate smart practices that help farmers adapt to changing rainfall and protect crops.
🌿 Mulching, intercropping, and zero-grazed livestock are other methods that ensure reliable yields and contribute to soil health.
🏞️ Climate smart agriculture not only increases food production but also contributes to healthier landscapes that are more resilient to climate extremes.
💰 Farmers can earn money through carbon credits by increasing carbon capture in their soil, as piloted by the World Bank in Kenya.
🌱 The adoption of climate smart agriculture is a path to green growth, making it a win for food security, environmental health, and climate change mitigation.

Q & A

How is climate change affecting agriculture in Africa?
-Climate change is causing droughts, floods, pests, and diseases in Africa, which leads to poorer crops, less food, and lower incomes. It also accelerates land degradation, putting the livelihoods of the world's poor, who depend on the land, at risk.
What is the projected increase in global food production needed by 2050 to feed the world's population?
-Global food production needs to increase by 70% by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion people.
What is the impact of deforestation on rainfall and agriculture as described in the script?
-Deforestation, such as cutting down trees for charcoal and firewood, has led to the disappearance of forests, which in turn has resulted in less rainfall and a negative impact on agriculture.
What is climate smart agriculture and how does it help in managing climate change?
-Climate smart agriculture is a way to grow crops and manage land with higher yields based on climate-resilient systems while storing carbon in plants and soil. It includes practices like water harvesting, on-farm trees, mulching, intercropping, and zero-grazed livestock, which help in adapting to climate change and increasing productivity.
How does water harvesting help farmers adapt to erratic rainfall?
-Water harvesting captures runoff for better crops, helping farmers adapt to erratic rainfall in dry areas by providing a more reliable water source for their crops.
What role do on-farm trees play in climate smart agriculture?
-On-farm trees protect crops from wind, provide nutrients through their roots and leaves, and serve as a source of fodder for livestock and firewood for the kitchen. They also contribute to soil conservation and prevent erosion.
What are the benefits of mulching and intercropping in climate smart agriculture?
-Mulching and intercropping are practices that ensure more reliable yields by maintaining soil moisture and preventing soil erosion. They also help in improving soil fertility and structure.
How does zero-grazed livestock contribute to climate smart agriculture?
-Zero-grazed livestock can make intensive use of small plots, providing milk and returning manure to the land. The manure helps retain moisture in the soil, which is beneficial during periods of little rainfall.
What is the significance of terraces on sloping land in climate smart agriculture?
-Terraces on sloping land help hold soil, water, and nutrients in place, preventing erosion and stabilizing production, which is crucial for maintaining agricultural productivity on slopes.
How does climate smart agriculture contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
-Agriculture, soil erosion, and deforestation contribute to a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. Climate smart agriculture helps reduce these emissions by promoting practices that increase carbon sequestration in vegetation and soil.
What is the potential benefit of carbon credits for farmers practicing climate smart agriculture?
-If farmers increase carbon in the soil through climate smart agriculture, they can earn money through carbon credits, which provide an economic incentive for adopting sustainable farming practices.
In which countries is climate smart agriculture being practiced as mentioned in the script?
-Climate smart agriculture is being practiced in Burkina Faso, China, Brazil, India, Ethiopia, and South Africa, among others.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture

The paragraph highlights the detrimental effects of climate change on agriculture, particularly in Africa. It discusses how climate change leads to droughts, floods, pests, and diseases, resulting in poorer crop yields, less food, and lower incomes. It emphasizes the risk to the livelihoods of the world's poor, who are heavily dependent on land. The paragraph also touches on the past when the hills were covered with trees and rain was abundant, contrasting it with the current situation where deforestation has led to a lack of rainfall. The concept of climate-smart agriculture is introduced as a solution to increase crop yields while storing carbon in plants and soil.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Climate change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. It is the central theme of the video, illustrating the negative impacts on agriculture, particularly in Africa, causing droughts, floods, pests, and diseases. The script mentions how climate change has led to poorer crop yields, less food, and lower incomes, affecting livelihoods that depend on the land.

💡Agriculture

Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock for food, fiber, and other products. The script discusses how agriculture is being hit hard by climate change, with implications for food production and the livelihoods of farmers. It also highlights the need for increased food production to feed a growing global population.

💡Droughts and floods

Droughts and floods are extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent due to climate change. The video script describes how these events are causing significant problems for agriculture, leading to crop failure and food shortages.

💡Climate-smart agriculture

Climate-smart agriculture is an approach to farming that aims to increase productivity and farmers' resilience to climate change while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The video script provides examples of such practices, like water harvesting, on-farm trees, and mulching, which help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns and improve soil health.

💡Land degradation

Land degradation is the decline in the quality of land, often due to human activities like deforestation. The script mentions how climate change accelerates land degradation, which threatens the livelihoods of the world's poor who depend on the land.

💡Food production

Food production refers to the process of growing, harvesting, and processing food. The video emphasizes the need for a 70% increase in global food production by 2050 to feed the growing population, highlighting the challenges posed by climate change to achieving this goal.

💡Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of trees from an area, often for agriculture or timber. The script recounts how deforestation has led to the disappearance of forests, resulting in less rainfall and contributing to climate change.

💡Carbon credits

Carbon credits are a form of tradeable certificate that represent the right to emit one ton of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of another greenhouse gas. The video script explains how farmers can earn money through carbon credits by increasing carbon in the soil through climate-smart agriculture.

💡Soil erosion

Soil erosion is the removal and transportation of the topsoil layer by natural forces such as wind and water. The video script mentions soil erosion as a problem exacerbated by climate change and agriculture, but also as something that can be mitigated through practices like terracing and planting on contours.

💡Green growth

Green growth refers to economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and low-carbon. The video script concludes by positioning climate-smart agriculture as a path to green growth, suggesting that it can provide solutions to both economic development and climate change.

💡Carbon capture

Carbon capture is the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and storing them to mitigate climate change. The script highlights how healthy farmland can capture carbon in vegetation and soil, contributing to the fight against climate change.

Highlights

Climate change severely impacts agriculture, particularly in Africa, leading to droughts, floods, pests, and diseases.

Poorer crops due to climate change result in less food and lower incomes for farmers.

Climate change accelerates land degradation, threatening the livelihoods of 2/3 of the world's poor who depend on the land.

Global food production must increase by 70% to feed 9 billion people by 2050.

Deforestation for charcoal and firewood has led to the disappearance of forests and a decrease in rainfall.

Climate smart agriculture offers a way to grow crops and manage land with higher yields while storing carbon.

Water harvesting captures runoff for better crops, helping farmers adapt to erratic rainfall.

On-farm trees protect crops from wind, provide nutrients, and serve as a source of fodder and firewood.

Mulching and intercropping are practices that ensure more reliable yields.

Zero-grazed livestock can make intensive use of small plots, providing milk and returning manure to the land.

Terraces on sloping land help hold soil, water, and nutrients in place, stabilizing production.

Agriculture, soil erosion, and deforestation contribute a third of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Healthy farmland in climate smart agriculture captures carbon in vegetation and soil.

Farmers can earn money through carbon credits by increasing carbon in the soil.

The World Bank is piloting carbon credit approaches in Kenya to support climate smart agriculture.

Climate smart agriculture is a triple win: more food, healthier landscapes, and more carbon capture.

Climate smart agriculture is already being practiced in Burkina Faso, China, Brazil, India, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

Now is the time to take action and make agriculture a part of the climate change solution.