Climate Change and Agriculture: The Policy Challenge for the 21st Century? Changement climatique et agriculture : le défi du 21ème siècle pour l’action publique? Klimawandel und Landwirtschaft: Die politische Herausforderung für das 21. Jahrhundert?

Abstract

SummaryClimate Change and Agriculture: The Policy Challenge for the 21st Century?Climate change will have significant impacts on agriculture. Farmers and the agri‐food supply chain will have to adapt, while at the same time providing food for a growing population. Agriculture can be expected to contribute to meeting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, although the sector did not figure significantly at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. The ongoing or expected international climate change, food security and trade commitments present both challenges and opportunities for the agri‐food sector, as agriculture is one of the few sectors that can contribute to both mitigation and sequestration of carbon emissions. Accounting for agriculture’s carbon footprint is a key issue given the possibility of including agriculture in greenhouse gas reduction commitments. However, the range and variability of estimates, and the complexity and uncertainty of accounting for indirect land use change remain to be resolved. Policies will play a role in enhancing the ability of agriculture to adapt to climate change, in reducing greenhouse gases, while contributing to other environmental goals. There is an urgent need to consider whether an international agreement would be the channel to enable appropriate national policy actions to be taken in the context of a global framework to reduce emissions from agriculture in the most efficient and least‐cost manner.