Family farmers and indigenous peoples are the key to adapting to climate change | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

According to experts speaking at the opening of the 5th Regional seminar on agriculture and climate change organized by ECLAC and FAO, it is vital to acknowledge the traditional knowledge accumulated by family farmers and indigenous peoples, as well as to learn from that knowledge in order to adapt to climate change.

The event, with the theme of "Agrobiodiversity, Family Farming and Climate Change", was attended by officials from the region's ministries of agriculture and planning, agricultural innovation agencies and international experts.

In her opening address, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, stated that the region has been the source of various crop species such as maize and potato. She highlighted the major role played by indigenous peoples and family farmers in selecting and handling these varieties over the generations, noting that this accumulated knowledge has been insufficiently acknowledged.

According to the senior official, climate change is already generating dramatic alterations to the water cycle, soil and coastal areas of Latin America and the Caribbean (particularly Central America), hence the need for urgent action.

For more information, please click here.