Shifting world agriculture to a "climate-smart" approach will not only help prevent future food security crises but holds the promise of sparking economic and agricultural renewal in rural areas where hunger and poverty are most prevalent, argues a new FAO publication. On the one hand, the magnitude and scope of climate change's impacts on agricultural systems means that boosting rural communities' resilience and adaptive capacities is essential to safeguarding world food security, notes FAO success stories on climate-smart agriculture, released today. Rising temperatures and an increased frequency of extreme weather events will have direct and negative impacts on crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture productivity in the years to come, as clearly indicated in the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Vulnerable, farming-dependent populations in the developing world are particularly at risk. But at the same time, the compelling need to deal with the challenges posed by climate change offers an opportunity to transform the way food systems use natural resources, improve agriculture's sustainability and promote poverty reduction and economic growth, the publication adds. Highlighting cases studies in "climate-smart agriculture" from around the globe, FAO's document shows that many rural communities are already successfully making the transition to new forms of farming better suited to the rigors of a warmer world.

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