BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 2. The population's growing demand for food is further increasing pressure on these resources, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues Mukhtar Babayev said at the 4th Agribusiness Development Forum, Trend reports.
He said that agriculture is a strategically important sector that meets the basic needs of people:
"Today, the production capacity of water and land resources in the world barely meets the current demand. On the other hand, the growing demand for food by the population is further increasing the pressure on these resources.
According to the UN FAO, approximately 1.7 billion hectares of land in the world have been degraded as a result of human activity. More than 60 percent of this land is arable and pasture land used in agriculture.
Agriculture is one of the most sensitive sectors to climate change, as it's directly linked to the climate. In recent years, the negative effects of these changes have created serious difficulties in agriculture. Increasing droughts, soil salinization, and extreme weather events are reducing productivity and seriously affecting global food security.
The world is now experiencing more intense heat waves, powerful storms, and devastating floods. If in the 1970s there were about 100 disasters per year, today this figure has increased to 400. This threatens food security and weakens the sustainability of agriculture," he emphasized.
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