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Date : 19/10/2005
Source: Department of Agriculture
Title: Didiza: National Climate Change Consultative Conference


  Speech by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Ms Thoko Didiza, MP at the National Climate Change Consultative Conference,Galagher Estate, Midrand, Gauteng

VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION: CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD SECURITY AND AGRICULTURE

Programme Director
Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa
Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs, Members of Parliament
High Ranking Government Officials
Coordinator of the Implementation Programme,
UNFCCC
Canadian Climate Change Ambassador
Ladies and Gentlemen

Climate change is a serious risk to poverty reduction and threatens to undo decades of development effects. As the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development states: ‘The adverse effects of climate change are already evident: Natural disasters are more frequent and more devastating and developing countries are more vulnerable’. An obvious example would be the current drought that has ravaged the country and the region since 2002. While climate change is a global phenomenon, its negative impacts are more severely felt by poor people and poor countries.

The extreme climate events also often adversely affect land use planning, level of agricultural yield, consistency in yield, cost of production, sowing and harvesting, irrigation needs, transportation, storage, pests and diseases, marketing, farm management, food security and many other socio-economic indicators. Where greater responsibility is placed on farmers for environmental management, they must increasingly rely on climate/forecast information and climate predictions for operational and strategic decisions and planning affecting environmental, agronomic and economic sustainability. Agricultural planning and operations should take maximum advantage of the current climatic prediction methods, together with those which are expected to emerge in the next century.

In developing countries, the changing role of and characteristics of farming, which include improved quality and decreased use of chemicals, has also emphasised the needs of farmers for information on practices based on current and forecast weather and longer-term climate predictions.

Climate change result into significant shifts in traditional patterns of weather and climate, therefore advance warning of such hazards and extreme climate anomalies, amongst others, would benefit agricultural systems.

Food security, especially in Southern Africa, is linked to the prevailing climate. Any long or short term changes thereof are paramount to our ability to feed our nation with high quality affordable staple foods. Taking cognisance of national/international climate patterns, these realities should be part of our decision-making process and strategic interventions when existing and new research and development projects are being evaluated. A few of them are minimising evaporation, cultivar choice, the incorporation of durable drought resistance in our cultivars, optimising irrigation scheduling, rotational production systems, etc.

Several research and development initiatives on climate change have already been undertaken by the national, regional and international research centres. The Agricultural Research Council (ARC), through its 13 institutes, has contributed in a number of ways to climate change science and implications. As the research arm of the Department of Agriculture, it has been, and should continue to be, pro-actively involved in the emerging climate change programme of the department. The ARC, together with its partners, has been tasked to carry out a research project on ‘Expected variation in areas suitable for dry land crop and animal production under climate simulation model projections for future climate change and carbon sequestrations’, secondly, to model first to fourth order impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector in South Africa using the climate scenarios, and this covers some of the issues under adaptations and mitigations.

Much of the western area suitable for maize production might become unsuitable as a result of the decreased rainfall and soil moisture. The impact of the Carbon Dioxide fertilisation effect (increased growth through increased photosynthesis) might help with the yield, but only in some areas. The estimates are that with the Carbon Dioxide fertilisation effect, the minimum loss of maize production will be R46 million, and without the effect, R681 million.

South Africa’s climate is highly variable and is particularly vulnerable to climate change, as farming depends entirely on the quality of the rainy season. Increased droughts in combination with higher temperatures could have a serious impact on the availability of food.

The impact of drought extends beyond food shortages and negatively affects national economies and reduces the country’s ability to export crops and generate foreign currency. The annual crop yield can be considerably higher if crop losses due to irregular rainfall can be minimised. Drought tolerant crops will have the potential to enhance the efficiency of crop production by increasing cultivation and yield in marginal areas.

Adaptation policies should focus on providing stable conditions and support for making the livelihoods assets of poor communities more resilient to climate change through resource accessibility and reforming of policies. Economic growth is important for generating livelihood opportunities for poor communities, enabling them to move out of poverty. It can contribute to the ability of governments to provide important services such as education in climate change modelling which will enhance food production. Improved forecast of seasonal climate for South Africa is very important for the community.

The Department of Agriculture supports research and development programmes conducted throughout the world for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of the processes behind climate change and improving long range prediction. Rain dependant agricultural activities including livestock production, form the fundamental economic base of many African countries. Drought in Africa is often associated with far reaching socio-economic miseries that include low agricultural products leading to lack of food, famine, malnutrition and associated diseases.

Climate change is one of the currently key scientific and policy issues which are of great concern to mankind due to the recent scientific studies which have confirmed that human activities can interfere with traditional change patterns of the global climate system which drive most of the global agricultural systems.

As mitigation is largely concerned with innovative ways of reducing emissions, and adaptation with ways of dealing with changed or changing conditions, the main focus in agriculture will be on the latter, though not excluding the former.

You will quite agree that many critical agricultural decisions ranging from farm to policy level, interact with climate, but most of these decisions should be made several months in advance, before impacts of climate effects could be realised. Therefore the stance taken by government to address climate issues by fully participating in international conventions and, secondly, developing National Climate Change Response Strategy that will lead to sector plans. In addition to the National Climate Change Response Strategy the Conservation of the Agricultural Resources Act (Act No. 43 of 1983) was promulgated to provide for control over the utilisation of the natural agricultural resources of South Africa in order to promote the conservation of the soil, water sources, vegetation, combating of weeds and other invader plants.

The Department of Agriculture places an emphasis on prevention, adaptation and mitigation strategies such as: supporting risk management initiatives, research of large-scale epidemics and hazards; providing information to farmers on markets and climate. My department will make sure that the four elements of Early Warning Systems are successfully met:
(1) Prior Risk Knowledge,
(2) Monitoring and Warning Service,
(3) Dissemination of Warnings/ Information and (4) Response Capacity.

The importance of partnerships has been mentioned by various speakers, within the agricultural and scientific community, we have established a network of scientist supported by Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It is through this partnership that the Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) is undertaking research through the Sub-Saharan African challenged Programme (SAACP), the long term research plan to identify critical interventions that unique to the African farming systems.

It is through this continental challenges that Africa will begin to create a critical mass of scientists who will collaborate with each other and find a long term solution. South Africa is part of this team and has put various strategies in place to support increased food production amidst the unpredictable conditions. These include the National Land Care programme aimed at promoting sustainable resource use and the biotechnology strategy.

My department is currently issuing the early warning monthly advisories to the farming community which includes strategies that may be used during adverse climatic conditions such as droughts, floods, snow and cold spells, pests and diseases, etc.

The drafted discussion document on ‘Climate Change and the Agricultural Sector’ will serve to inform decision makers and the agricultural sector in current perceptions and follow-up actions necessary to address the risk and challenges relating to climate change and agriculture. This is the first step towards the drafting of the climate change sector plans.

The Department of Agriculture will invite the relevant expertise in the drafting of the climate change sector plans for Agriculture in fulfilment of the requirements of the National Climate Change Response Strategy.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Agriculture
19 October 2005
   

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