Climate change
Climate change affects ecosystem services and food production systems in many ways. It is a fundamental threat to food security, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty. It is expected to reduce agricultural productivity, stability and incomes in many parts of the world, and to become an additional stress and risk factor in areas already facing high levels of food insecurity.
Climate change poses new challenges to the management of the world’s genetic resources for food and agriculture, but it also underlines their importance.
Genetic resources for food and agriculture underpin the capacity of crop, livestock, aquatic and forest production systems to withstand and adapt to harsh conditions. Safeguarding them and using them sustainably are key to maintaining our ability to achieve food security in a changing climate.
Main outcomes CGRFA-20:
- Secretariat requested to reopen a questionnaire on genetic resources for food and agriculture and climate change to allow additional inputs from countries
- Recommendation that FAO convene a global multistakeholder workshop on climate change and genetic resources for food and agriculture that would, inter alia, consider the possible need for revision of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Integration of Genetic Diversity into National Climate Change Adaptation Planning
Key publications
Climate change poses new challenges to the management of the world’s genetic resources for food and agriculture, but it also underlines their importance.
Impacts of climate change on terrestrial, marine, freshwater and coastal biodiversity and ecosystems will increase if global warming is not limited to 1.5 ºC, and their capacity to provide services to humans will be reduced.
