For millions of people, especially rural family farmers in developing countries, our actions can make the difference between poverty and prosperity, between hunger and food security and nutrition. French Astroanut Thomas Pesquet spent 196 days in the space. Seeing the Earth from above changed his perception on how important is to protect our planet from the impacts of climate change to ensure a future with food security. FAO is driving a global transformation to sustainable agriculture. It is helping farmers and nations set up climate-resilient systems to feed the world, now and in the future. Climate change may be intensifying, but so are FAO’s efforts. FAO is stepping up to the climate challenge.

In the prevailing context of higher climate variability with the rainy season being no longer predictable, supply of water is extremely important for the farmers. Farmers in Rwanda do not have enough rain for their production due to drought. There is competition for water use between rural and urban area. To reduce the vulnerability of the farmers to water scarcity, four dams were constructed by FAO in Ngoma sector targeting over 200 households. The inflow into the dams is either from the streams that flow into the Yanze River or from rainwater. These small dams are a reliable source of water which allow farmers to produce their vegetables for their own food security but also to generate income through the sale of the surplus produced.

A video series linked to the project “Adapting small-scale irrigation to climate change in West and Central Africa”

With support from the European Space Agency

This 3-minute animated film highlights the main mechanisms and impact of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food & Agriculture from the perspective of a female farmer in Africa.
www.fao.org/plant-treaty