South Africa: President Zuma Speaks on Threat of Climate Change to Agriculture
South African President Jacob Zuma has said agriculture is the bedrock of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as more than 80 per cent of people depend on it for livelihood and employment.
Mr Zuma said the performance of Agriculture in the region has a strong influence on food security, economic growth and stability.
Speaking when he officially opened this year’s Agriculture and Commercial show in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Zuma said the forces of agriculture remained high on the priority list and was of critical importance to the region.
“Considering the variation of weather pattern in the region, there is need to review the work done on the regional food reserve facility in order to improve the regional food basket,” Mr Zuma said.
He said the regional food reserve system would provide SADC with a mechanism of preventing and preparing for adverse impact and shocks to food security.
“This is more important given the negative impact of climate change which has a serious threat to agriculture and food security in the region,” he said.
Utenriksdepartementet UD