Join leaders including Kofi Annan on 7 December, as they launch early action on climate-smart agriculture.
Global food prices remain volatile and have climbed to near record-levels. By 2050, there will be nine billion people in the world. To feed the growing population, agricultural production will need to increase by 70 percent by 2050.
Rising temperatures and more frequent, less predictable droughts, floods and heat-waves will bring increasing pressure to agricultural production systems over the coming years. Without strong adaptation measures, climate change could reduce food crop yields by 16% worldwide and by 28% in Africa by the 2080s. While agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to climate change, it is also a major cause, directly accounting for about 14% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Our ability to feed the growing population under climate variability and change will require new expertise and harmonized efforts.
Date: 7 December 2011
Venue: Levubu River Room – Durban Exhibition Centre
Time: 13h00 PM
Hosted by Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the Republic of South Africa,
The event will feature Kofi Annan, Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and former Secretary-General of the UN; Sri MulyaniIndrawati, Managing Director of the World Bank; Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Erik Solheim, Minister of Environment and International Development of Norway; Francisco Gaetani, Deputy Ministerof Environment of Brazil; Mary Robinson, President of the Mary Robinson Foundation, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Josette Sheeran,Executive Director of the World Food Programme.
Enquiries:
Patrick Verkooijen
E-mail: pverkooijen@worldbank.org
Fiona Douglas
E-mail: fdouglas@worldbank.org
Selby Bokaba
E-mail: selbyb@daff.org.za
Cell: 082 778 0245
