Recently India and 27 other countries have signed the following two agenda during the 28th Conference of the Parties to UNFCC (i.e. COP26) on “COP 26 Action Agenda on Sustainable Agriculture”.
- Sustainable Agriculture Policy Action Agenda for the Transition to Sustainable Agriculture; And
- Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture
Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture – COP 26 Action Agenda on Sustainable Agriculture
- It sets out new commitments to make agriculture more sustainable and less polluting.
- At the same time, it will allow countries to invest in the science needed for sustainable agriculture and to protect the food supply against climate change.
This Policy Action Agenda considers some of the principles of a sustainable agriculture approach, such as-
- It supports better economic livelihood and income generation for farmers and rural communities. This will help in poverty alleviation, food and nutrition security, resilience and livelihood security etc.
- It supports efficient use of inputs and resources. Thus it can reduce the use of artificial (non-renewable) inputs and resources which have harmful effects on climate and environment.
- In this, an effort will be made to maintain the ecosystem as it is. Also, the expansion of agricultural land in other ecosystems will be prohibited.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, the definition of Sustainable Agriculture is-
“It refers to the proper management and protection of natural resources. By this definition, technological and institutional changes must be such as to ensure the fulfillment of human needs and their continued supply for present and future generations.”
Other related facts
- The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has launched the COP26 Charter of Action for a similar and ambitious outcome at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference.
- This charter states that the cumulative CO2 emissions of countries since the year 1850 should be considered as guidance for climate mitigation action.
- India has supported the “30 by 30” target of the United Kingdom. It is noteworthy that under this, the United Kingdom has set a target to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
Source – The Hindu
