The World's Small Farmers May Not be Able to Wait for Action on Climate Change

Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers

The headlines during the annual climate change summit each year seem to follow a now familiar pattern a cliff hanger on the night before the conference is due to end suggesting that they were about to break down irretrievably.

Of course, by the following morning - and all-night discussion - there follows the inevitable report that collapse has been prevented and a resolution agreed.

One method is to farm as organically as possible and use the waste vegetation, such as foliage, to plough back into the land.

It is not really surprising, therefore, that with other things on their minds, like fear of job loss, ongoing economic crises, and not forgetting Christmas, ordinary members of the public might be totally underwhelmed by the whole thing.

The two further agreements, for a global fund to help developing countries and for a wide agreement to halt deforestation in developing countries, including safeguarding forest peoples and wildlife, are perhaps more significant.

On balance, however, it seems that the commentators are generally seeing the outcome this year (2010) as being significant progress because it seems that at last there is a general agreement for a target of halting global warming at 2C above pre-industrial temperature levels.

More significant perhaps are the two further agreements, for a global fund to help developing countries and for a wide agreement to halt deforestation in developing countries, including safeguarding forest peoples and wildlife.

The question really is whether action will follow within a time frame that is soon enough to make a real difference, not least to the millions of small farmers across the world who are struggling to support themselves and to increase production to meet the growing demand for basic foods.

The continued continued commodity price speculation, tension between food and fuel crops and a limited amount of land for expansion these are all issues that are not strictly part of the climate change discussions.

Yet they cannot be completely separated from climate change and its effects, not least because there is pressure to use existing farming land in a way that does not further deplete the soil or harm the environment and ecosystems.

That means the emphasis is on sustainable farming and the need for innovative and simple measures that can help small farmers to get more out of their land. It is no surprise that ordinary members of the public might be totally underwhelmed by the whole thing when they have other things on their minds, like fear of job loss, ongoing economic crises, and not forgetting Christmas.

The new ranges of low-chem agricultural products being devised by the biopesticides developers are another. Small farmers need access to the range of biopesticides, biofungicides and yield enhancers that are being developed as quickly and affordably as possible, as well as the training in how to use them properly.

Arguably it is more urgent to get these products widely licensed and available for use while the effects of longer term measures to tackle climate change will take longer to have a noticeable effect.


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While there seems to have been progress at this year's climate change summit in Cancun, it will take time to see the results, says Ali Withers. However, the world's small farmers can't wait and need the new low-chem agricultural products coming from the biopesticides developers now for sustainable farming and yield enhancement.