Opinion Piece: Accelerating sustainable development goals through better agricultural risk management
Opinion Piece: Accelerating sustainable development goals through better agricultural risk management Business Insider Africa
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The Urgency of Sustainable Agriculture
The Urgency of Sustainable Agriculture
Climate change, erratic weather patterns, soil degradation, and declining groundwater levels pose significant challenges for farmers worldwide, especially in developing countries. Meanwhile, conventional agricultural practices exacerbate these problems, leading to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and water pollution. Sustainable agriculture offers a viable solution, promoting resilience, equity, and environmental sustainability.
The Role of Agricultural Risk Management
The Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) has a global mandate to contribute to sustainable agricultural growth, reduce food insecurity, and improve the livelihoods of rural households. Here’s how better ARM can accelerate SDGs:
- Regenerative Practices and Nature-Based Solutions:
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
- IPM techniques minimize pesticide use while maintaining crop productivity. By adopting IPM, farmers can protect their crops from pests and diseases sustainably.
- Climate-Resilient Farming:
- Building resilience to climate change is crucial. Farmers must adapt to changing conditions, reduce risks, and safeguard their livelihoods.
- Practices like drought-resistant crop varieties, efficient water management, and climate-smart technologies enhance resilience2.
- Access to Finance and Insurance:
- Innovative financing mechanisms, including agricultural and climate insurance, can de-risk investments and foster sustainable access to finance for smallholder producers.
Hosted by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), PARM is funded by the European Commission (EC), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and IFAD itself and collaborates with a number of technical and financial partners as well as private sector entities to support governments, institutions and smallholder farmers to move away from a culture of coping with risks towards smart gender sensitive risk management.
PARM’s Impact
PARM’s results demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development. The Platform has:
- conducted 20 risk assessment and feasibility studies on agricultural and climate risks in Africa;
- designed 33 investment projects/programs in agricultural risk management, climate insurance, and policy engagement;
- trained over 23,000 rural individuals in financial literacy and risk management4.
As we strive to achieve the SDGs, better ARM is not just an option—it’s a necessity. By integrating regenerative practices, climate and agricultural insurance, financial inclusion, capacity development and much more ARM tools, we can create more equitable and sustainable food systems. Let us empower farmers, protect our environment, de-risk investment in agriculture and ensure a hunger-free future for all.
About the author:
Dorcas Mayala Ntumba
Knowledge Management, Communications & Partnership Specialist, PARM/IFAD
Dorcas Mayala Ntumba is a Senior Communication Expert with over 15 years of experience in corporate communications, public information, marketing, public relations and journalism. She worked with international organisations, private sector, media and UN system before joining the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) hosted by IFAD, where she is currently coordinating the knowledge management cluster at global, regional & country levels.
#FeaturebyDorcasMayalaNtumba
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
-
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
- Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status.
-
SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
- Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
- Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
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SDG 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
- Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.
- Indicator 15.1.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status. |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. | Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population. Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. | Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area. Indicator 15.1.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type. |
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Fuente: africa.businessinsider.com
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