21 March 2012: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has launched a free course that aims to build understanding on how climate change effects agriculture and food security and practical steps that can be taken to minimize negative impacts.

The course is available through online registration or via CD-Rom, and is aimed at policy makers and people working within development agencies. It contains training materials that can be used and adapted for face to face training. In the session on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Agriculture, the course identifies people-centered strategies, improved water management, conserving soil moisture, organic matter and nutrients, and using short-cycle seed varieties that allow for harvesting before the peak of the cyclone season. The final session on Climate Smart Agriculture presents insights on how climate smart agriculture can transform agricultural systems to make them more productive, while preserving the environment. [FAO e-learning course on Food Security and Climate Change]