Climate smart crops: A necessity for future food and nutrition security
Climate change is taking a severe toll on farmers, as they watch their livelihoods disappear with the onslaught of floods, droughts and rising sea levels and temperatures. With agriculture currently employing over 1.3 billion people throughout the world, or close to 40 percent of the global workforce, it is imperative that we incorporate climate resilience into all aspects of crop breeding and food innovation.
Developing ways to improve staple crops so that they can withstand some of the adverse effects of climate change will ensure food security and agricultural livelihood for generations to come.
Decline in food production
A recent report from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found that at current rates of climate change, it is likely that global food production will decline by two percent every decade until at least 2050, just as the world's population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people. http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/358/167303.html
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4ba0ec_2aa7a6697aae455f90756b7df474fd83~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_426,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/4ba0ec_2aa7a6697aae455f90756b7df474fd83~mv2.jpg)
CIFOR