October, 24 2008, 03:07pm EDT
Sustainable Agriculture: Meeting Food Security Needs, Addressing Climate Change Challenges
A Briefing Paper from the Oakland Institute
OAKLAND, CA
The challenges facing
agriculture today are immense. Of immediate concern is the global
increase in food prices, starkly brought home by reports of food riots
and food shortages in many countries around the world. In addition,
the challenges of climate change are increasingly urgent. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes it clear that warming
of the climate system is "unequivocal," as observations of
increases in air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow
and ice, and sea level rise have made evident (IPCC, 2007).
Agriculture will therefore have to cope with increased climate
variability and more extreme weather events.
Agriculture is thus at a crossroads. It has to find ways to feed the
world while being environmentally, socially, and economically
sustainable. Yet, it is increasingly clear that the path that
agriculture has been on is not sustainable nor can it feed the world
without destroying the planet (IAASTD, 2008). With the spotlight once
more on agriculture, and with many critical issues that need
resolving, finding the answer to the question of the nature of
agricultural development required has never been more pressing.
In this new Briefing Paper, Lim Li Ching, Senior Fellow at the Oakland
Institute, makes the case that agriculture needs to undergo a radical
overhaul to become more sustainable and proposes sustainable
agriculture as an option.
While making specific recommendations on how to move towards
mainstreaming sustainable agriculture, the Briefing Paper points out
that:
* Contrary to popular belief, sustainable agriculture is productive
and could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain
the current human population, and potentially an even larger
population, without putting more farmland into production.
* Sustainable Agriculture can Raise Incomes
* Sustainable Agriculture Mitigates Climate Change and has Climate
Adaptation Potential
Read the Briefing Paper Here
(https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/?q=node/view/494)
Other New Reports from the Oakland
Institute
Going Gray in the Golden State: The Reality of Poverty
Among Seniors in Oakland, California
The Oakland Institute is a policy think tank whose mission is to increase public participation and promote fair debate on critical social, economic and environmental issues in both national and international forums.
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