Climate change affects food systems

Many policymakers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) believe climate change is the biggest obstacle currently facing food systems in the Southeast Asia region. A survey from non-profit group CropLife International also reveals that more ASEAN policymakers believe that climate change has a widespread negative impact on agricultural issues. These include maintaining soil quality, managing plant disease, ensuring sufficient crop yields, and managing pests and infestations.
These findings and others are part of a recent research white paper, Policymaker Survey: Climate Change Impact on ASEAN Agriculture. The initiative will understand better the impact of climate change on agriculture, food production and smallholder farmers in the ASEAN region.
Data also show that ASEAN policymakers are acutely aware of the devastating impact of climate change on smallholder farmers. Over 60% of the survey respondents strongly agree that farmers will be negatively affected by climate change's impact on food productivity and security. Additionally, over four in five (86%) policymakers said that providing better education about agricultural tech and sciences and innovation in agrarian tech and science would be very important. More knowledge would help mitigate the impact of climate change on farmers in the region.

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