Innovations, such as Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), are crucial in the fight against climate change to secure production in the agricultural sector, according to Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo.
Limpo made the statement at the Organization of Economic Cooperation’s (OEC’s) Developing Eight (D-8) international meeting during which he also emphasized that Climate Smart Agriculture is a suitable priority issue for D-8 nations to discuss amid the climate change-caused deterioration in the agriculture sector globally.
Four key innovations are included in CSA: better and more sustainable water utilization, upgrades in plant nutrient and fertilizer management, biofortification in national staple food crops, and the application of innovation and technology to reduce food loss and waste (FLW).
“We have applied and encouraged Good Handling Practices (GHP), such as a better quality of crop storage space, improved harvesting techniques through machine design, training for operators, and technical guidance for farmers,” Limpo explained.
At the online meeting with seven other developing countries, the minister ensured Indonesia’s commitment to sharing its agricultural experiences with all D-8 members.
“I hope that through this forum, we would be able to strengthen synergy, technology, and innovation of CSA in mitigating the impacts of climate change, especially in D-8 member countries and globally,” he remarked.
According to Limpo, Indonesia has demonstrated huge resilience in the agriculture sector, which is the country’s economic backbone.
“In 2020, GDP from the agriculture sector was recorded at 16.24 percent, despite the national GDP having contracted by minus 4.19 percent. The farmers also benefited from the 2020 farmers’ terms of trade (NTUP) that increased by 0.51 percent from last year,” Limpo added.
D-8 is a group of eight developing countries, with a Muslim-majority population, which was originally aimed at gathering the power of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries. D-8 comprises Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Indonesia.
Source: Antara News