Presentation at: Meeting global food needs with lower emissions: IPCC report findings on climate change mitigation in agriculture A dialog among scientists, practitioners and financiers April 16, 2014 World Bank, Washington, DC Following the April 13th release of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report on Mitigation, including Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU), this event will provided an opportunity to listen to IPCC authors summarize their findings and for all participants to join in a dialog with practitioners and financiers to discuss actionable steps for mitigation in the agricultural sector. The event was a joint effort of the World Bank, the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).

1. Agriculture and Future
Climate in Latin America
and the Caribbean:
Systemic Impacts and
Potential Responses
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2. Relevance of LAC’s Agricultural Sector
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Economic Social Climate
• 5% of regional GDP
(2012)
• More than 50%
share of total income
among poor
households in some
countries
• Agriculture, land use,
land use change and
forestry are the main
source of emissions
• Over 50% of
worldwide exports of
sugar, soybeans and
coffee
• 7 out of 10
agricultural units in
almost all countries
are family farms
• Mitigation efforts
affecting both land
use and energy are
essential to achieve
climate
stabilization goals

3. Key Features
• $300 billion aggregate agricultural output
– Additional 31 million hectares placed into agriculture
between 2001 and 2011
At the expense of
– Reduction of natural and cultivated pastures as well as an
increase in deforestation (70% of worldwide deforestation
is in LAC)
– 34% of cropland shows degradation
• 90% is rain-fed but the sector accounts for 66% of water
withdrawals
• Potential for increases in productivity mostly among
medium and small producers
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4. Climate Change Impacts
• These impacts will put additional pressure over land and
water resources as well as exacerbate existing
development challenges
– Increases in soil and air temperature
– Decreases in soil moisture
– Sea level rise
– Changes in precipitation patterns
– Increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme
weather events
– Distribution of plants and animals
– Phenology
– Ecological interactions
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5. Potential Actions
• Revise current agricultural policies to channel resources
and promote a low carbon resilient agriculture
– Risk management, value added, traditional knowledge,
resilient varieties
• Promote agricultural research and extension
• Assist decision making with climate information
services that target long-term trends
• Leverage public, private and international funding to
maximize benefits
• Private sector participation
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6. Thank you
Ana Rios
Climate Change Specialist
arios@iadb.org
http://publications.iadb.org/handle/
11319/5806?locale-attribute=en
http://publications.iadb.org/handle/
11319/456?locale-attribute=en
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