Written by Jessica Morgan
The Voces de La Clima (Voices for Climate) exhibition opened today as part of the UN’s climate summit in Lima, Peru. Running through till 12 December it aims to educate visitors on the effects of climate change and what people can do to reduce their carbon footprint while conserving biodiversity.
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| An installation made from plastic bottles and other rubbish collected from the sea |
The exhibition is divided in to five zones: Forests, Mountains, Water and Oceans, Energy and Sustainable Cities. Through these it highlights initiatives from the Peruvian government, private sector and civil society.
The Mountain zone focuses on smallholder farmers in Peru. Voces de la Clima wants to address the challenges farmers face due to climate change. Indigenous peoples are a very important part of Peru's culture and the country relies heavily on the products they produce. Crops such as potatoes and maize, which are staple foods in Peru, are mostly grown by small farmers in the Andes.
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| A display showing the stories of some Smallholder Farmers from around the world. |
One of the event organisers, Arasely Rojas, said: “Small farmers are very important in Peru. But there is not enough water, and the mountain lakes are running dry so the crops are not growing properly.”
Rojas explained that between 2,500 and 4,000 Peruvian farmers in the Andes are facing food insecurity due to climate change. Water scarcity is the main reason why crop yields are being depleted. IFAD believes that small farmers are key to providing food for our growing population in a sustainable way whilst also conserving biodiversity and promoting gender equality. IFAD's Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Program (ASAP) designs programmes to help smallholder farmers achieve these goals.