SADC farmers call for COP 17 to put agriculture firmly on the agenda

SADC farmers call for COP 17 to put agriculture firmly on the agenda
The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) Thursday said it is taking regional farmers' concerns on climate change to the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) scheduled to kick start next week Friday in South Africa.

The regional farmers' representative body said to call for the global negotiations to put agriculture "firmly on the climate change agenda" and establish a work program that will outline and coordinate the necessary responses for the sector which is the backbone of the region.

SACAU has been granted observer status for the next COP17 that will run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in Durban.

Thursday SACAU chief executive officer Ishmael Sunga said his organization is taking a 15-point position statement to conference which reiterates the major role agriculture plays across the continent and the challenges that climate change poses to the sector.

"Agriculture is the economic foundation of most African countries and it makes a significant contribution to food security and poverty alleviation for millions of households on the continent," Sunga said in a document.

"Climate change will challenge our ability to feed ourselves and it will affect areas which are already vulnerable," he added.

According to reports predicted climate change hot spots coincide with areas where food security is already a major problem and its severe impacts is having on agriculture, rural livelihood and economies in Southern Africa, especially on the production of major food crops, livestock and fisheries, and expressing concern that these are predicted to worsen in the future.

SACAU is a regional farmers' organization that was established in 1992. Its core membership is open to national farmers' unions within Southern African Development Community (SADC). It is involved in agricultural development in the region by strengthening the capacities of farmers' organizations, providing a collective voice for farmers on regional and international matters, and by providing agriculture related information to its members and other stakeholders.

Agriculture which is the most climate sensitive sector and the most vulnerable to climate change is the main foundation for the economies of most African countries, and its significant contribution to food security, employment, livelihood and poverty alleviation for millions of households on the continent.

The senior farmer said SACAU is "concerned about the absence of agriculture" in the current agreed text of the UNFCCC.

"We are calling for a secured text on agriculture in the UNFCCC negotiations in the common vision for Long-Term Cooperative Action (LCA)," said Sunga. "Specifically, SACAU wants text that recommends the establishment of a work program on agriculture under the UNFCCC's Subsidiary Board for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA), covering both adaptation and mitigation," Sunga added.

According to SACAU agriculture is being "coupled" with bunkers fuels and trade in the negotiations.

"We are calling for agriculture to be decoupled from bunker fuels, and for trade related issues to be handled separately within the international trade negotiations," Sunga said.

SACAU also calls for the simplification of the financing mechanisms put in place within the framework of the UNFCCC, especially the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), to make them accessible to farmers in developing countries.

"It is clear that without sustained adaptation and mitigation measures, and the technologies and financing to support them, the goals of food security and poverty reduction will not be met and the progress made in economic development could be jeopardized on the continent," said Sunga.

SACAU also adds its voice to growing calls for a binding agreement in the post-Kyoto regime and for Annex 1 countries to honor their pledges for financing adaptation and mitigation.

"We urge the global community to provide resources to support Africa's initiatives and frameworks in responding to climate change. We also advocate for adequate allocation of Green Climate Fund resources to agriculture as well as the participation of farmers in the Fund's governing bodies," Sunga said.

Editor: Xiong Tong

English.news.cn   2011-11-18 09:23:52 FeedbackPrintRSS
by Ntandoyenkosi Ncube

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 17 (Xinhua)