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Conference: agriculture must be at climate change table

Agriculture provides one of the biggest solutions to climate change and farmers should be provided greater incentives to mitigate climate change. That’s according to Ajay Vashee, president of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. Speaking from the site of a one-dayconference Wednesday in Denmark involving more than fifty countries, Vashee tells Brownfield that a general consensus was reached.

“We believe agriculture does provide major solutions towards mitigation of climate change and we need to include agriculture as one of thestand alone pillars within any post-Kyoto international agreement,” said Vashee, during an interview following the meeting Wednesday in Copenhagen.

The conference Wednesday was so that farmers, researchers and negotiators could reach a consensus viewpoint in preparationfor the December Climate Change Conference also to be held in Coppenhagen. Vashee says that viewpoint supports what agriculture is currently doing.

“There is an awareness that we need to continue with the production of bioenergy in a responsible way where it’s neutraltowards climate change,” said Vashee. “It is the way forward.”

Vashee says climate change is linked to food production and energy production, so, he says agriculture should be at the table for climate change discussions.

“Youcannot afford to ignore agriculture in the whole equation,” said Vashee. “It’s not a question of what would happen; it would be catastrophic if you don’t.”