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APEC 2017 prioritises food security and climate change
Ensuring food security in response to climate change is one of the four prioritised topics proposed by Vietnam for the APEC Year 2017 agenda, said an official.
Participants talked at the APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security Meeting
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Delegates spoke highly of Vietnam’s experience in strengthening food security and sustainable agriculture while responding to climate change at the recently-held meeting of the Working Group on Food Security Policy.
Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Institute for Policy and Strategy of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Dai Nghia made the statement on the sidelines of the group’s meeting, which was part of the first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM-1) underway in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa.
According to Nghia, Vietnam is one of the economies vulnerable to climate change so that it must face disasters such as drought, saline intrusion, prolonged flooding and cold weather.
In order to adapt to climate change, farmers in the central province of Ninh Thuan have switched to apple, grape and garlic cultivation that suits prolonged drought. While in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, shrimp breeding in brackish water proves effective amid saltwater intrusion in the region.
Such models have increased farm produce’s added value and contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam’s agriculture, he said. Patrick Edward Meran from the US, for his part, hailed Vietnam’s thorough preparations and proposals to the meeting.
He expressed his hope for the outcomes of the High-level Dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change scheduled for this August in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.
According to the official, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the chair of the meeting, proposed three initiatives: Action plan for the APEC Strategic Framework on Rural-Urban Development to Strengthen Food Security and Quality Growth; Action plan for the APEC Programme on Food Security and Climate Change; and the Can Tho declaration on sustainable growth and food security in response to climate change.
It also put forth two suggestions focusing on the development of agribusiness to support the transformation of rural labours in APEC member economies, and the impact of climate change adaptation on food security strategies.
These proposals have been applauded by participants of the meeting, said Long, adding that they lay a foundation for upcoming APEC activities, particularly a high-level policy dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture slated for August in the Mekong Detal city of Can Tho.
Alongside PPFS, the ministry has also been actively engaging in meetings of other APEC groups, including the Disaster Risk Reduction and Oceans and Fisheries Working Groups, as well as the Expert Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade.
