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Rice terraces in Bali, Indonesia, use a sustainable irrigation system called "subak".
© Unsplash/Geio Tischler

Sustainable crop production

Tomorrow’s agriculture means producing more food with a lower environmental footprint

Plants make up most of the food we eat: about 12 percent of the world's lands are destined for growing crops. Wheat, rice and maize provide 60 percent of the world's food energy intake. Altogether, some 6 000 plant species are cultivated for food production. But climate change is altering ecosystems and damaging biodiversity, while creating new niches for pests to thrive.

Restoring ecosystems contributes to climate mitigation and curbs the risk of species extinctions and future pandemics.
Agroforestry alone could increase food security for 1.3 billion people.


Data source: FAO. 2021. Food Balances. In: FAOSTAT. Rome. Cited 07 November 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS

https://www.doi.org/10.4060/CC8055EN-fig02

Sustainable and climate-resilient plant production for food security

Soil is a vital carbon sink and home to 25 percent of the world’s biodiversity, hosting ecosystems that are essential to the preservation of life. Better management of soils can increase the food supply and offset up to 20 percent of current global greenhouse gas emissions, providing a valuable lever for climate regulation and a pathway to safeguarding ecosystem services.

Preventive climate change mitigation and adaptation measures are necessary to limit the international spread of pests through trade and travel.

Short- and mid-term mitigation and adaptation options include the use of resistant plant varieties and the modification of the microclimate.

Through instruments such as the International Plant Protection Convention and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, FAO provides field-level technical assistance to its Members for the identification and pilot-testing of valuable, sustainable and ecologically friendly, less hazardous alternatives to chemical pesticides.

Global Soil Partnership

FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP) is a globally recognized mechanism established in 2012, whose mission is to position soils on the global agenda. Its main objectives are to:

  • promote sustainable soil management and improve soil governance to guarantee healthy and productive soils; and
  • support the provision of essential ecosystem services towards food security and improved nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable development.

The GSP and its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils have produced a series of soil maps through country-led processes to support informed decision-making at country level. Since 2012, the GSP’s capacity development programme has reached more than 7 000 national experts from over 170 countries.

Two of the maps produced are essential tools to address the climate crisis: the global map on soil organic carbon (SOC), which enables countries to draw conclusions on the distribution and status of their soil organic carbon stocks; and the SOC sequestration potential map, which allows the identification of regions, soil types and farming systems with the greatest potential to offset greenhouse gas emissions.

Recarbonization of Global Soils

The Recarbonization of Global Soils (RECSOIL) facility is a mechanism that scales up sustainable soil management. It backs national and regional farming incentives that restore degraded soils, while preventing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributing to carbon sequestration efforts.

Water – an ever-scarcer resource

Agriculture accounts for around 70 percent of all freshwater withdrawals. In some developing regions, 95 percent of water is destined for agriculture.
Meanwhile, much of our water footprint is hidden.
We "eat more water" through the food we ingest than the water we drink:
2 000 to 5 000 litres are needed to produce the food consumed per person per day.
And while about 1 250 litres of water go into 1 kg of lentils, about 13 000 litres of water go into 1 kg of beef.

As the world's population continues to grow, living standards increase, diets change and the effects of climate change intensify. If current consumption patterns continue, two-thirds of the global population could be living in water-stressed countries by 2025.

Beef Pulse Water Infographic
AWARe

Action on Water, Adaptation and Resilience

The COP27 Presidency initiative, Action on Water, Adaptation and Resilience (AWARE), was launched to catalyse inclusive cooperation to address water as a key to climate change adaptation and resilience. The initiative's mission is to: 1) decrease water losses and improve water supply; 2) support policy and adaptation action; and 3) promote cooperation and interlinkages between water and climate action in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 6.

Harnessing the power of rain

Senegal is susceptible to extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall followed by long dry spells. These events are becoming more intense and unpredictable, making farmers' lives much more difficult. Almost 90 percent of Senegalese farmers rely on rainfed agriculture.

In Senegal, the SAGA project has been working to enable regular access to water, as well as increase the efficiency of its use. In close consultation with local communities, FAO has implemented irrigation systems tailored to the needs of farmers.

In the northeastern village of Oudalaye, for example, FAO helped producers focus on a traditional agroecological practice, called Gulle Kisnal, to reduce water evaporation.

Gulle Kisnal is an agroecological water management technique where a half-moon shape is created around the plants to ensure water remains concentrated inside the mini-basin and is not wasted through evaporation or runoff. Alongside other methods, growing plants using Gulle Kisnal under FAO's SAGA project has increased profits and brought more nutritious and balanced diets to over 300 households.

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