The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will be holding its 35th Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean in Montego Bay, Jamaica, from March 5 to 8, 2018. The Conference will focus on eradicating hunger, overweight, and obesity; putting an end to rural poverty; promoting climate resilient sustainable agriculture; and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

The discussions on promoting climate resilient sustainable agriculture will centre around three main themes:

a. Creating sustainable agriculture to face climate change

The agriculture sector of Latin America and the Caribbean has turned the region into an actor of global importance, which is key to meeting the expected increase in global demand for food in the coming years.

But this will not be possible if climate change is not addressed through a major agricultural transformation. We must produce more, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing sustainable practices to adapt production systems to new climatic conditions, conserving and using energy, land, water, marine resources, forests and biodiversity much more efficiently.

The Regional Conference will allow countries to promote fully sustainable agriculture, which is resilient to climate change and better prepared to face natural disasters.

b. Protecting the rich biodiversity of the region

The biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean is unique in the world. It is home to a large variety of plant and animal species that are important for agriculture and food, while also attracting millions of tourists each year.

The biodiversity of the region includes food and animal species that have successfully expanded around the world, such as quinoa, potatoes, beans and tomatoes.

The FAO Conference will be a key space for countries to share their experiences and promote the conservation and sustainable use of their biological diversity, including all forms of life in forests, oceans, deserts, plains and rivers.

c. Improving access to climate finance

Climate change does not respect borders. It is a global problem that cannot be solved without cooperation among all countries.

Currently, the countries of the region are financing climate change adaptation and mitigation mostly with their own resources. But these are insufficient.

The Regional Conference will be an important opportunity for countries to discuss access to environmental and climate financing mechanisms, such as the Green Climate Fund, which are necessary for the transformation of the agricultural sector.

More information is available at the FAO website.

[Image via FAO]