31/08/2023 Incheon metropolis
The Asia-Pacific Regional Science and Innovation Discussion board held as we speak highlighted the necessity for investments and the energetic involvement of younger individuals, girls and indigenous communities in constructing climate-resilient agrifood techniques within the area. It spotlighted climate-actions pushed by younger individuals and native communities in Asia-Pacific with a give attention to climate-smart agriculture, sustainable meals manufacturing and processing, digital options, data-driven decision-making, and group mobilization.
The Regional Science and Innovation Discussion board was convened by the Food and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) as a session of the eighth Asia-Pacific Local weather Change Adaptation (APAN) Discussion board underway in Incheon metropolis, Republic of Korea. The APAN Discussion board is Asia-Pacific’s largest and longest-standing gathering of adaptation practitioners to fulfill, alternate data and experiences, and collaborate in the direction of the pertinent outcomes and sensible options which are wanted to deal with the challenges of climate change.
FAO’s Chief Scientist Ismahane Elouafi, addressing the Regional Science and Innovation Discussion board (SIF), in a video message mentioned, “youth, girls and indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by climate change. But they’re additionally brokers of change. Harnessing the energetic involvement of ladies, indigenous peoples and younger individuals within the area in science, know-how and innovation might help to strengthen the resilience of meals techniques to climate change impacts and assist to supply extra meals to fulfill rising calls for with much less inputs and fewer influence on the setting.”
Science and innovation for local weather motion
Asia-Pacific is residence to 60 p.c of the world’s younger individuals, making it probably the most youthful area with greater than 1.1 billion younger men and women aged 15 to 29. Governments and improvement companies in Asia-Pacific, the quickest rising area on the earth, are leveraging on the presence of a big younger inhabitants to foster an enabling setting for innovation and digitization in meals techniques.
“With the fitting investments, the event and scaling-up of scientific and revolutionary approaches that foster climate-smart agricultural practices can open doorways to entrepreneurship. It could possibly result in inexperienced enterprises, worth chains and start-ups that may generate employment, incomes and rural enterprises,” mentioned Elouafi.
The local weather disaster stays one of many most important drivers of meals insecurity. The most recent FAO State of Food Safety and Diet within the World (SOFI) Report 2023 revealed that 735 million individuals confronted starvation final yr. The Asia-Pacific area is especially susceptible to climate change because of excessive inhabitants density, heavy reliance on agriculture and publicity to excessive climate occasions.
Globally, for each USD 100 of agricultural GDP, solely between 34 and 72 cents are being spent on agricultural analysis and improvement (R&D). In Asia-Pacific, whereas the worth of public expenditure on agricultural R&D grew dramatically in earlier a long time, the extent has stabilized and is declining in some areas as a proportion of agricultural output.
“We have to make investments extra in agricultural analysis for improvement, specializing in science, know-how and innovation (STI). Investments in R&D over the subsequent ten years, together with focused investments in extension and recognized applied sciences similar to agrometeorological advisories and irrigation targeted on water productiveness in Asia and the Pacific, will ship vital advantages by way of meals safety and vitamin now and sooner or later,” mentioned Beau Damen, FAO Pure Sources Officer talking on the Discussion board. “STI generally is a highly effective engine to finish starvation and malnutrition in addition to increase local weather motion when accompanied by robust establishments, good governance, political will, enabling regulatory frameworks, and efficient measures to advertise fairness amongst agrifood system actors.”
FAO’s Technique on Local weather Change and its Science and Innovation Technique are enhancing assist to Member Nations of their efforts on climate change adaptation and mitigation, working in the direction of climate-resilient and low-emission agrifood techniques.
FAO and companions constructing momentum on the earth’s largest area – Asia and the Pacific
FAO is working with Member Nations within the Asia-Pacific area to make use of new applied sciences together with Synthetic Intelligence and superior geospatial know-how to measure, report and confirm local weather adaptation actions in agriculture, forestry and different land-use sectors in 9 nations. The Digital Village Initiative carried out in nations similar to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea, to call however just a few, is harnessing the appliance of digital improvements and applied sciences, providers and options to create higher lives and livelihoods for rural communities.
Different proactive measures within the area embrace:
Seven nations in Asia and the Pacific, supported by the World Atmosphere Facility (The GEF), authorities companies, agricultural communities and the personal sector are utilizing revolutionary Sustainable Rice Platform requirements and different measures to construct markets for local weather resilient and sustainable agricultural merchandise.
And in Southeast Asia, the ASEAN Local weather Resilience Community is a region-specific instance of multi-stakeholder partnership that’s deploying revolutionary resilience measures regionally and nationally with assist of private and non-private sector actors.
The Asia-Pacific Regional Science and Innovation Discussion board featured a panel of innovators and group leaders who thought-about accessibility and software of local weather applied sciences, revolutionary practices and native data in agrifood techniques for climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation. The important thing outcomes from the Discussion board will inform the worldwide Science and Innovation Discussion board (SIF), hosted by FAO in October this yr. The worldwide SIF can be held beneath the umbrella of the World Food Discussion board – a youth led world community created and facilitated by FAO, the place the momentum for local weather actions for sustainable and resilient meals techniques is constant.
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About eighth Asia Pacific Local weather Change Adaptation (APAN) Discussion board
The eighth Asia Pacific Local weather Change Adaptation (APAN) Discussion board is taken into account Asia-Pacific’s largest and longest-standing gathering of adaptation practitioners to fulfill, alternate data and experiences, and collaborate in the direction of the pertinent outcomes and sensible options which are wanted to deal with the challenges of climate change. This yr’s discussion board is hosted by the Ministry of Atmosphere – Republic of Korea, beneath the larger umbrella of the Korea World Adaptation Week 2023 in Songdo, Incheon Metropolis. The APAN Discussion board is a biennial flagship occasion of the Asia Pacific Adaptation Community (APAN) Secretariat, hosted by the UN Atmosphere Programme (UNEP) Regional Workplace for Asia and the Pacific with the assist of the Ministry of the Atmosphere – Japan.
