Climate-resilient agriculture key to combating undernourishment
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Published under: Solberg's Government
Publisher: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
News story | Date: 08/10/2018 | Last updated: 10/10/2018
‘It is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people who are being hardest hit by climate change. Increasingly, a lack of food and failing harvests are causing instability and conflict. Climate change adaptation is essential for achieving the SDGs. We therefore intend to increase Norway’s funding for promoting food security and climate-resilient agriculture by NOK 60 million in next year’s budget,’ said Minister of International Development Nikolai Astrup.
The additional funding will be earmarked for efforts in vulnerable areas that are severely affected by climate change. In connection with the revised budget for 2018, the Government presented a plan to intensify efforts to enhance food security and promote climate-resilient agriculture. The Government is now following this up with an allocation in the budget for 2019, and before the end of the year it will also present an action plan on this topic. Considerations relating to food security and climate-resilient agriculture are to be integrated into all five of the Government’s development policy priorities.
‘Sustainable food production, sound water resources management, climate change adaptation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are all vital elements of our climate change efforts. Norway is providing agricultural guidance, developing drought- and flood-resistant seeds, providing funding for fertilisers and irrigation, and helping countries to improve storage facilities and gain more market access,’ said Mr Astrup.
Norway is supporting climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through a number of channels, both bilaterally at country level and through international organisations such as the World Bank, the UN system and the Green Climate Fund.
‘The harmful impacts of climate change and natural disasters can be reduced through disaster risk reduction. We will establish new partnerships that also include the business sector. We will give priority to supporting partners that combine work on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation with a food systems approach and a focus on nutrition,’ said Mr Astrup.
‘I am concerned about the most recent figures showing that 820 million people are undernourished. There are two main reasons for this: man-made crises and the impacts of climate change. That is why we are now drawing up an action plan on sustainable food systems in the context of Norwegian foreign and development policy,’ said Mr Astrup.