VERBATIM REPORT BY ACTIONAID ON CLIMATE CHANGE-FACILITATED TRIPLE CRISIS

The world is heading towards a triple crisis of climate change, depleted natural resources and rocketing food prices. Zambia is amongst the most vulnerable countries, and yet Zambia is highly unprepared to handle the crisis, warns ActionAid.

ActionAid´s new report “On the Brink: Who is best prepared for a climate and hunger crisis?”, released today, warns that as the global population hits 7 billion this month a triple crisis could dwarf the world’s ability to feed them all. Based on new research in 28 poor countries, including Zambia, the report reveals which poor nations are most vulnerable, which nations are prepared for this triple crisis and which are perilously close to the brink. The report states that Zambia is close to the brink. Zambia is ranked number 6 amongst the 10 most vulnerable countries together with DRC, Burundi, South Africa, Haiti, Bangladesh, India, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

The ActionAid report shows that Zambia is s highly unprepared due to the country’s lack of effective policies to fight and reduce the high levels of hunger combined with the weak implementation of climate adaptation plans. Several decades of government neglect to agriculture have left small-scale farmers in Zambia struggling without effective extension services or access to fertilisers and seed stock. Lack of access to financial services, transport and markets has further stagnated the country’s agricultural productivity. Zambia faces chronic malnutrition; 43% of the country’s citizens are not getting enough to eat. And more than 45% of children under the age of 5 are stunted due to chronic malnutrition. With dire climate impacts predicted and land degradation and environmental concerns also worsening, things are likely to get worse.

ActionAid International Zambia Country Director Pamela Chisanga says:

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that Zambia and the world faces today, the huge negative impacts of climate change are affecting Zambian farmers already today, especially small scale women farmers. However climate changes and their impacts on our agriculture productivity and food production have been politically neglected in Zambia for too long. We urge President Michael Sata and his new government to prioritise climate change and the agriculture sector. Government has to commit itself to implementing climate change adaptations plans, as well as investing in sustainable agricultural projects, which will help the country prevent a hunger crisis.”

The Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) says that Southern Africa, including Zambia, is highly threatened by multiple climate change. Experts foresee that shorter growing periods due to climate changes will hit the southern Africa area and reliable crop growing days will drop to critical levels, which might make cropping too risky to pursue as a livelihood.

“Zambian natural resources have provided a great boost to our economy in previous years, however the extractive industries together with unsustainable agriculture, soil erosion and forest degradation are great negative contributors to how well we are prepared for a future of depleted natural resources and changing weather patterns, due to climate change. Combined, these negative contributors will be an even greater challenge to our agricultural production. Policies that ensure sustainable productivity and growth are needed today not tomorrow if Zambia wants to secure itself against a climate and hunger crisis. Later this week Zambia and the world celebrates World Food Day and Rural Farmers day, let’s celebrate our farmers by committing ourselves to deliver policies which will help rural communities cope with climate shocks and hunger crisis and not by making empty promises.” says Pamela Chisanga.

ActionAid’s key findings reveal that:

At least 10 countries, accounting for more than 1.5 billion of the world’s population, are highly vulnerable to a climate-related food crisis. Zambia is ranked number 6 out of the ten most vulnerable countries. Overall, climate change could add another half a billion people to those facing chronic hunger around the world by 2050. Every rural community surveyed across Africa, Asia and the Americas said that erratic and extreme weather was crippling their ability to feed themselves.

Unsustainable farming practices and an unprecedented rush from foreign investors to control resources such as minerals, oil, biofuel and water, could leave millions of the poorest people without enough arable land to produce food. In Africa alone, over 6 million hectares of degraded farmland must be regenerated to meet the demand for food from a population set to double by 2050.

A dangerous new era of high food prices is set to push 44 million more people into poverty. The demand for biofuel – produced from wheat, corn, soybean and sugarcane – means that food prices will keep rising unless rich countries find alternative sources of energy.

Brazil scored top of ActionAid’s preparedness survey by announcing US$10 billion to support small scale farms, enshrining the right to food in its constitution and making national plans to climate proof its agriculture. Rwanda has set an ambitious 25 year plan to reverse land and forest degradation. And Malawi is promoting organic fertilisers, building up a nation-wide system of food reserves and drafting a national adaptation plan to help rural communities cope with climate shocks.

ActionAid urges world leaders meeting at next month’s G20 to put the triple crisis at the top of the agenda. It is calling for: greater investment in small farms in poor countries where the majority of poor people’s food is grown; immediate delivery of the climate cash needed to help poor farmers climate-proof their agriculture; binding cuts in rich countries’ carbon emissions; the creation of a system of pan-regional food reserves and the immediate elimination of biofuel targets that are driving land grabs in Africa, Asia and the Americas.