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Scaling up agricultural innovation will transform and offer solutions to the climate change emergency
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | With debate about climate change and agriculture emerging, experts are urging for investment in agriculture innovations for farmers to adapt.
The conversation about agricultural innovations emerged as researchers, policy makers and farmer organizations met ahead of the upcoming 2021 UN Climate Change Conference or COP26.
The call for investment in technology comes amidst concern that less than 10% of investment in agricultural systems is spent on agricultural innovation.
The virtual meeting held on Thursday recognizes the fact that the agriculture sector remains a significant driver of natural ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change.
Uganda National Farmer’s Federation President, Dick Nuwamanya Kamuganga was one of the panelists at the meeting hosted by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture & Food Security (CCAFS).
Kamuganga observed that while some innovative agricultural technologies have been popping up, many farmers have not been able to access them.
He says the cost of the innovations coupled with low level of technology transfer have made the technologies inaccessible to farmers.
Scaling up agricultural innovation has been identified as a key lever to support this transformation and offer solutions to the climate change emergency by developing and deploying agricultural practices and technologies at scale.
Globally, it is being recognized that while many people will adapt to climate change by changing their behavior, perhaps by moving to a new location or changing their occupation, they will rely on technologies that increase resilience to climate risks and extremes, such as new irrigation systems, advanced weather forecasting tools, and more-resilient crop varieties among others.
It is further being observed that transformation of agri-food systems is needed to help achieve the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
As national delegations prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference in UK later this year, some climate activists want half of all public investment in agricultural research to focus on innovations that provide new solutions across our food systems. They want COP26 to come up with a position on financing innovative agricultural solutions and their inclusion under National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs).
NAPAs provide a process for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to identify priority activities that respond to their urgent and immediate needs to adapt to climate change. For Kamuganga, there is also need to take stalk of existing technologies for the benefit of farmer.
The COP26 summit to be hosted by UK will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Experts in climate change adaptation have noted that the extent to which such technologies are developed and made globally available will significantly shape the “new normal” of life if not sheer survival, for millions in adapting to climate change.
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