Innovation will show how we can feed a hotter and harsher planet

The Global Forum of Innovations in Agriculture 2015 will be the most influential event in the world for every group that wants to contribute to the sustainable agriculture movement, writes Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi

A model of Seychelles wind turbine on display at Masdar Hall during the World Future Energy Summit at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Ravindranath K / The National

A daunting statistic that has gripped the world’s attention in recent years is that the global population is set to grow to nine billion by 2050, while natural resources diminish.

This means the world must find innovative and sustainable ways to produce food. Doing so in the context of climate change makes this one of the biggest challenges facing the world.

By 2050, estimates suggest that we will need to produce 56 per cent more food to nourish those nine billion people. This has to be achieved at a time when soil erosion and urbanisation are putting increasing pressure on production and reducing the availability of arable land. With predictions for more extreme weather patterns, we need to adopt climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and use methods that miti- gate the risk of unpredictability.

The impact of climate change is already palpable around the world. In general, the poorest and hottest countries will be the hardest hit but this is not just a problem in countries far from here. The UAE is justifiably concerned about the way our country has been affected by climate change. Most people in the UAE live in low-lying coastal areas, where the climate is arid and hot. These conditions are extreme enough already and could become worse as the climate changes.

Even small long-term variations in temperature and precipitation could adversely affect productive activities because of the fragile nature of the country’s precious natural resources and the link with global economic activity.

At the same time, the UAE is a major supplier of fossil fuels, which involves us in the need to find ways to cut emissions while continuing to provide the world with the energy it requires.

The answer lies in innovation.

Innovation in agriculture gives us a real chance to feed nine billion people without using more resources or damaging the environment. Innovation can provide technologies that will improve nutrition and social prosperity in developing countries, as well as open up unlimited sources of clean energy. In the GCC, it can help us nurture and sustain that most precious resource: water.

Innovative ways of integrating climate-smart technologies into daily practices include the introduction of different crops and new soil-enrichment techniques. The challenges of food security and climate change are interlinked and have three objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity to improve farm incomes, food security and development; making agricultural and food security systems resilient to changes in climate; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

CSA can cope with changes in climate that are happening faster and with greater intensity, helping those whose lives are locked in food insecurity and poverty. The UAE is engaged in the fight against climate change both because we recognise the risks of not acting immediately and also because we are responsible global citizens. We are convinced that in rising to this challenge, there is a real opportunity to be leveraged for the greater good of our people.

Together we can build new industries, create knowledge-intensive jobs and provide opportunities for our young people, all in the cause of the global good.

With the UAE’s investment in renewable energy and its role as host of the three-day Global Forum of Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) starting in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, we are at the heart of the climate-smart agriculture revolution.

With the backing of 40 global partners committed to using GFIA as a catalyst for change, the event will include the inaugural meeting of the strategic committee of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture, which was formed at the UN last September. It will be the first time a powerful international group has formed to link agriculture with climate change in order to promote greater global engagement. The organising committee has been charged with defining and driving the climate-smart agriculture agenda.

GFIA 2015 will be the most influential event in the world for every group that wants to contribute to the sustainable agriculture movement.

Mohamed Jalal Al Rayssi is the chairman of the Global Forum of Innovations in Agriculture organising committee. The forum starts tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.