Bad weather causes $30 billion in crops loss – Green
FWESTERN BUREAU:
LOYD GREEN, minister of state in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, has said farmers and agriculturists must be re-educated on the dangers of climate change, as Jamaica has suffered approximately J$30 billion in crop losses due to irregular weather patterns since 2004.
Green made the observation while addressing the opening ceremony of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services’10th annual meeting, held at the Royalton Hotel in Negril, Westmoreland, on Tuesday. The week-long forum is being held to discuss the role of rural agricultural services in handling climate change and disaster risk management.
“For us here in Jamaica, agriculture is the bedrock of what we do; in fact, it contributes some seven per cent of our gross domestic product. But the reality is that over the last 15 years, we have seen much longer droughts which are then followed by intense periods of excessive rainfall,” Green told the delegates.
“We have seen category five hurricanes that now appear to be the norm and not the exception to the rule, and because of natural disasters, over the last 15 years we have seen crop losses of over J$30 billion,” Green added. “This calls for urgent action, for behaviour change, for adaptation, and for a re-education and reorientation of our farmers and agriculturists.” Green noted that agricultural best practices from across the world will have to be utilised to address the issue of climate change, which threatens the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’ (FAO) projection for feeding the world’s population by 2050.
“THE FAO has estimated that, in order to feed our ever-increasing population of the world, food production must rise by at least 60 per cent by 2050. Against that backdrop, I think it’s fair to say that global warming and the impact of climate change easily qualify as the greatest threat to human existence and to a sustainable quality of life in the 21st century,” said Green.
“Climate change demands that we bring change and innovation to the sector. We have to work smarter and increase our collaborative efforts, so we must use best practices from around the world that have already been proven, “added Green.