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New FAO Guidelines: Agriculture Central to Climate Change Adaptation

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently unveiled a new set of guidelines to support developing countries balance the needs of increased food production and climate change adaptation. The guidelines aim to support governments in making sure that the agriculture sector is both included in national climate change adaptation plans and made more resilient and sustainable.

July 7, 2017 | Source: Food Tank | by Eva Perroni

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently unveiled a new set of guidelines to support developing countries balance the needs of increased food production and climate change adaptation. The guidelines aim to support governments in making sure that the agriculture sector is both included in national climate change adaptation plans and made more resilient and sustainable.

As a part of the Integrating Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans program, the guidelines support the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into agricultural policies, plans, and programs in several countries throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The guidelines aim to help each country’s governments assess climate change impacts on their unique agricultural systems, identify adaptation options, and support farmers—especially women—in adopting best practices in climate change adaptation.

“Medium to long-term adaptation planning is crucial to build climate resilience and food security for future generations,” said Julia Wolf, FAO Natural Resources Officer and co-author of the guidelines. “The agriculture sectors, often the economic backbone of developing countries, need to be a key driver and stakeholder. The guidelines are set out to address the key issues, entry points and steps to take.”