A Road Map Ahead - Climate Resilient Agriculture for Ensuring Food Security - page 335

14

A Road Map Ahead

Abstract
Climate change will make the task of feeding a growing global population
and providing the basis for economic growth and poverty reduction more
diffi cult under a business-as-usual scenario, due to adverse impacts on agri-
culture, requiring spiraling adaptation and related costs. No single approach
can meet all of the complex challenges, and decisive action is needed across
a wide front. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the diversity and scale of
the challenges, and the need for the global food system to deliver much
more than just food, and food security in the future. The suggested priori-
ties for policy makers include spreading best practices; investing in new
knowledge; making sustainable food production central in development;
working on the assumption that there is little new land for agriculture;
promoting sustainable intensifi cation, including the environment in food
system economics; reducing waste both in high- and low-income countries;
improving the evidence based upon which decisions are made and develop-
ing metrics to assess progress; anticipating major issues with water avail-
ability for food production; working to change consumption patterns; and
empowering citizens. Ten key dimensions need to be followed for promot-
ing the sustainable agricultural practices by implementing a program of
action covering both adaptation and mitigation measures through four
functional areas, namely, research and development; technologies, products,
and practices; infrastructure; and capacity building.

Keywords
Future prospects • Priorities for action • Program of action • Key dimensions
• Adaptation • Mitigation

14.1 Future Prospects

long-term agricultural adaptation and mitigation
action, closely linked with national food security
and developmental efforts. The concept of climate-
resilient agriculture focuses on maximizing

Early action on climate change in the agricultural
sector allows countries to prepare for near- and