Agricultural innovation in the age of climate change: For sustainable agri-food systems.
Accounting for 30% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture’s connection with climate change is intricate. At the same time, “The real challenge for agriculture in the next few decades will be climate change,” says FAO’s Francesco Tubiello. “Without strategic interventions the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement cannot be met.”
Francesco Tubiello, senior statistician at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), provides valuable insight into how to untangle key data, farming activities, land use, and the unfolding supply chain dynamics.
Tubiello emphasizes the need for adaptation strategies that contrast the worst effects of climate change, with global data pointing in the direction of decarbonization efforts across the board, offering actionable insights for a sustainable agri-food future.
What does data say about the connection between agriculture and climate change?
The links between agriculture and climate change are asymmetrical. On one side, there are emissions, with their direct impact on climate, while on the other there are intricate strategies to adapt to ongoing changes.
From an emissions standpoint, a crucial aspect emerges. At FAO, we consider the agri-food system as a whole, moving beyond the conventional perspective on agriculture as an isolated system. When considering the agri-food system, data spanning the last two years indicates that it contributes approximately 30% of total emissions: a substantial figure. In absolute values, this percentage equates to about 15–16 billion tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, out of a total 50–55 billion tons of global emissions.
These insights underscore the significance of our discussion. It has spurred a series of studies suggesting that without strategic interventions in the agri-food system, the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement cannot be met.
In my view, this assertion holds a degree of truth. Importantly, it has intensified the focus on the entire agricultural system.
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