The Make the Change petition IFAD started last month is gaining momentum at COP21 in Paris. IFAD’s delegation, attending the UNFCCC Climate Change Summit, is spreading the #Adaptnow message.
The petition currently stands at over 750 signatures. Signatures from people who believe, as IFAD does, that smallholder farmers hold the key to food security in our changing climate and as such should be included in any climate deals being made.
IFAD believes strongly that smallholders should be given a voice at any climate discussions where decisions are being made that will affect them. That’s why IFAD is working with the World Farmers Organisation (WFO) who have brought approximately 35 farmers to COP21 in Paris.
Smallholder farmers are on the frontline of climate. Smallholder farmers worldwide are suffering from different climate impacts. Whilst one farmer in Niger is getting low yields from a prolonged drought, another in Vietnam is losing fertile soil to increased salinity levels from encroaching seas. The problems are diverse and geographically spread, and the responses need to be as adaptive and fluid as possible, in order to help all smallholder farmers who need it.
Smallholders are currently providing food for a disproportionate amount of the world’s population. With shrinking cultivated lands, lower yields and the destruction of natural resources, food supplies are under pressure. And because of population growth, the number of hungry mouths will grow. Without a solid climate deal, there is a real possibility of a food security crisis.
There is hope though. COP21 is proving that. As you can see many people agree that we should 'Make the Change'. Please if you haven't yet spread the message further and share the below link. Sign it yourselves and share it across any platform you desire in order to get as many signatures as possible. Let’s send a clear message to the negotiators at COP21, we want to #Adaptnow and MAKE THE CHANGE: invest in farmers in the developing world now.
