Coordinated action on climate change needed for long-term food security

[{“type”:”text”,”content”:”In addition to myriad other risks, the impact of climate change on food security emerges strongly throughout the report. It is imperative that the global agricultural sector takes action to help address the impending crisis, yet the scale of the problem is itself an impediment to effective action. Agriculture, like all other economic sectors, must navigate complex global guidelines, national laws, and industry or sector-specific constraints. This is a challenge that the recently signed Agriculture and Agro-processing Masterplan (AAMP) must address so that there can be a clear and consistent plan of action to combat climate change, but also with urgency.nnTo its credit, the AAMP does acknowledge the magnitude of climate change impacts on agriculture in South Africa, and its strategic objectives specifically speak to enhancing resilience to the effects of climate change, promoting sustainable management of natural resources, and a commitment to a just energy transition. However, the plan does not elaborate on how this will be achieved. Rather, it leaves the responsibility with the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development and commodity organisations to promote climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives. Time may prove this approach to be unwise. A challenge of this magnitude cannot be managed in silos; the plethora of existing policies at multiple levels requires a more holistic approach.nnPrior to the Masterplan, a number of sector bodies had already begun working on climate initiatives. Agri SA, for example, has been proactive in adopting a mandated position on climate change in 2021 and is aiming to develop a climate change strategy for the sector. But these various frameworks will need to be harmonised to create a coherent, sectoral approach. This is true too of the policy and research mandated under the AAMP. It isnu2019t enough to say we need public-private partnerships to conduct research; we need to put the structures in place to facilitate collaboration of this work, and sooner rather than later.nnAnd the challenge of coordination extends far beyond our sector and our national borders. National climate policy and legislation are mostly formed in line with international best practices through the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and related Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings held annually. The Paris Agreement is the most ambitious agreement yet since the international climate change commitments began in 1992. The UNFCCC set the foundation for South African climate change law and policy development, while the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow COP meeting in 2021 put obligations on South Africa to implement a just transition strategy towards a greener economy. It is therefore imperative that the agricultural sectoru2019s climate change strategy aligns with these commitments.”,”position”:0,”id”:”g6SYAtVLSdWzfQwK”}]