The Arab region is already the most arid in the world. Due to climate change, temperatures in the Arab region could rise up to 4.8 °C by the end-century. Drought and water scarcity problems in the area will be exacerbated, with the Arab region expected to suffer significant economic losses from climate-related water scarcity, estimated at 6–14 percent of GDP by 2050. The effects on agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and forestry will be significant. Responding to these risks is necessary to increase the resilience of agriculture in Arab countries, including the most vulnerable smallholder farmers. Climate finance flows to the agriculture, land-use, forestry, and water sectors lag other sectors. Although countries in the Near East and North Africa are among the most vulnerable, most water-stressed, and least climate-resilient regions, these countries are among the lowest receiving regions for climate finance directed towards adaptation actions in agriculture and land use. This requires a significant increase in investments supporting the development of climate-smart agriculture solutions to boost the resilience of agrifood systems to climate-induced extreme events and related shocks.
Session themes:
- What are the most pressing climate change adaptation challenges in agrifood systems, especially in the Arab region?
- How can technology and innovation help increase the resilience of agrifood systems?
- What can be done to increase the flow of climate finance and investment in agrifood systems to where it is needed the most?
Speaker(s)
Moderator(s)
