28 SEPTEMBER, 2014
CSA and the Youth: Understanding climate resilient practices
In recent years much attention has been given to the changing climates and the impact it has on the environment, hence the creation of different measurements of mitigation and adaptation. While it is evident that all aspects of our lives are affected by environmental threats, there is one that bears major impacts and importance because our food security and world’s livelihood depend on it: agriculture.
Today, agriculture faces three challenges:
1) Ensuring food security through increased productivity and income
2) Adapting to climate change
3) Contributing to climate change mitigation.
A Climate-smart mentality for a sustainable and resilient agriculture
According to the FAO’s website, CSA is “agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes greenhouse gases (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and development goal” (1).
In 2010 the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the concept, promoting it as an approach to develop technical, policy and investment conditions to achieve food security under climate change.
While CSA has become an increasingly accepted approach, considerable knowledge, investment and stakeholder participation is required to effectively implement CSA. Since its creation, CSA rapidly spread among developing countries as an alternative method for facing climate variability and adapting to it.
What about the youth and people living with disabilities?
The role of the youth in contributing towards a sustainable world is very important. Today’s adolescents and youth are 1.8 billion strong and comprise one quarter of the world’s rising population. Youth play an important role in shaping social and economic development, challenging social norms and values and building the solid foundation of the world’s future.
Raising youth’s awareness towards CSA will not only make them conscious of the existing challenges related to agriculture, but it will also give them the necessary information needed to mitigate these challenges and contribute to the development and adoption of climate smart practices in agriculture. Building youth knowledge and skills in CSA will empower and strengthen their ability to address existing challenges related to agricultural livelihoods, enabling them to make a positive contribution to their societies and countries.
Raise awareness
On the another hand, people living with disabilities make up part of the society and for a long time they have been excluded because there was no advocacy on their plights, therefore we shall ensure inclusion is our goal to reaffirm the success of this project. As articulated by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, “Let us work together to make this world a better place where no one will be left behind” (2).
The aim of our work is to ensure that all relevant key stakeholders are actively engaged in seeking solutions for a better and more sustainable world. Hence our particular interest in youth and people living with disabilities, who we know can make a difference.
Sources:
FAO. (2011). Climate-Smart Agriculture. In FAO: http://www.fao.org/climatechange/climatesmartpub/en/
Ban Ki-moon. (2014). Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 15 June 2014 – Secretary-General’s remarks at Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and China. In UN Secretary-General: http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=7786