Today marks the opening of the 23rd Conference of the Parties in Bonn, Germany (so called COP23) which is the United Nations’ annual meeting on climate change. A major theme of the conference this year will be the role that the agriculture sector has in meeting globally-agreed greenhouse gas emission targets. It is therefore really exciting to see such an active forum discussion board, read your thoughts and learn about all the interesting research underway.
Over the past week I have been particularly struck by contributions that have identified the importance of agriculture as a provider of eco-system services that support efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of farming. But many contributors have also noted the sometimes negative impacts of agricultural policies that don’t directly consider environmental impacts on issues such as land use, women’s empowerment and nutrition outcomes.
Several contributors have provided interesting lists of actions in agriculture (both technologies and interventions/policies) that are thought to benefit environmental outcomes. But how strong is the evidence for these technologies and policies? Do we really have the data to press policy makers to be making the right decisions that benefit both the planet and populations? Finally, our discussions have largely been about small-scale farming activities. While small-holder and subsistence farmers are among the most vulnerable populations on earth, does their impact on the environment outweigh the role of big agri-business? Should we in fact be focusing much more on the role that big business has to play in this critical issue?
We’ve only got a few days left on this forum so please send in your thoughts quickly! Thanks to you all for your superb contributions so far.
Dr. Alan Dangour