19 October 2015
FAO Highlights Links between Food Security and Climate Change
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At events held in conjunction with World Food Week, Expo Milano 2015 and the 42nd session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 42), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has stressed the links between climate change and food security.

fao_headquarters15 October 2015: At events held in conjunction with World Food Week, Expo Milano 2015 and the 42nd session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 42), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has stressed the links between climate change and food security.

During a ministerial meeting on food security and climate adaptation in Small island developing States (SIDS) held at Expo Milano 2015, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said urgent action is needed to secure the future and food security of SIDS against the disproportionate effects of climate change. He noted that threats from rising sea levels make adaptation strategies not only a priority for these States, but “a question of survival,” since SIDS depend on climate-sensitive sectors, such as fisheries, tourism and agriculture. He said food security for SIDS “lies at the heart” of both the sustainable development and climate change agendas. Da Silva called for political commitment and partnerships to support SIDS’ growth, food security and livelihoods, and to mitigate climate change.

Da Silva also thanked the Government of Italy for its US$2 million contribution to the FAO Trust Fund for SIDS, and noted that through the Global Blue Growth Initiative, FAO is helping SIDS to sustainably use their aquatic resources.

In another event held at the margins of CFS 42, the FAO Director-General and French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll said that targeted policies and investments in food security and agriculture should be central to climate change discussions, and that if not, recent progress made in combating world hunger would unravel.

Da Silva noted that in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agriculture and food systems that are more productive and adapted to climate change are required. He said that agriculture, including forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, must play a central role in addressing climate change, particularly in adapting to its impacts, such as water scarcity, soil salinity, and increasing plant and animal disease. He called for policies and investments to adapt agriculture to climate change, including reducing deforestation and overfishing, improving soil fertility and lowering emissions. He said that FAO was ready to assist countries through agroecology, climate-smart agriculture, integrated coastal management, sustainable land management and forest landscape restoration.

Expo Milano 2015 is meeting under the theme ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’ from 1 May to 31 October 2015 in Milan, Italy. CFS 42 convened from 12-15 October 2015 in Rome, Italy. World Food Week was held the 12-16 October 2015. [FAO Press Release on SIDS] [UN Press Release on French/FAO Statements] [IISD RS Coverage of CFS 42] [Expo Milano 2015 Website] [World Food Week Website]


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