Climate change adaptation must for food security: experts

Agriculture experts and environmentalists have put maximum emphasis on climate change adaptation, innovating and using effective technologies to keep cereal crop production increasing for ensuring food security.

They also viewed that adaptation with adverse impacts of changing climate globally with innovation of newer ways, technologies and stress tolerant crop varieties have become a must to keep agro-productions increasing for ensuring future food security.

Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said the degrading situation might cause severe natural imbalance reducing agro-production to such a level that would not be enough to feed growing global population in future.

"The degradation of climate cannot be reduced overnight and positive results of the proposed and under implementation global efforts might start improving the situation very slowly, but agro-productions must be kept continued and increasing," he said.

Adviser-Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid said the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture might be even unthinkable to make the sector collapsed though mostly stopping food production.

The huge change in weather and climate patterns, drying- and silting- up of the rivers, lowering of underground water levels and complete drying up of dozens of rivers and tributaries in recent decades have further degraded the situation in Bangladesh.

The adverse impacts of climate change have changed period of appearance of different seasons, including crop farming and harvesting periods causing concern to the agriculture sector that might cause severe setback in food production in future.

"Innovation of newer technologies and strategies have become must for enhancing cultivation of stress tolerant crops to attain national as well as global food security by keeping agro-production increasing despite chancing climate," Dr Mazid added.

Noted agriculturist and Executive Director of North Bengal Institute of Development Studies Dr Syed Samsuzzaman said the changing climate has already affected agriculture, irrigation, navigation, ecology, bio-diversity, environment and underground water levels.

As a result, rainfalls, floods, cyclones, droughts, cold and hot spells, sea and surface warming, water contamination, water and soil salinity, aquatic systems, silting and drying up of rivers, lowering of underground water levels are being affected, he mentioned.

He blamed the industrialised richer nations as mostly responsible for degrading climate and said that their inadequate steps taken so far are not enough to save the most affected poorer nations from the possible man-made catastrophes in future.

Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam narrated the chronological background that triggered to climate change and its adverse impacts on global agriculture, environment and other sectors.

The experts feared that climate change impacts might be worse than those experienced so far and suggested the global communities, especially industrialised nations, for taking the matter most seriously to save the agri-sector from possible collapse.

Talking to BSS recently, Representative of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for India & Nepal and Regional Coordinator of Stress Tolerant Rice Programme for South Asia at IRRI-India Office Dr US Singh put special emphasis on climate change adaptation for future food security.

He also appreciated the tremendous success achieved by the farmers in cultivating flood-, drought- and saline- tolerant rice varieties in India, Nepal and Bangladesh to increase food output in recent years through adapting with climate change impacts.

Source: BSS.