Farmers uniquely placed to help adaptation to climate change

Politics.co.uk: Farmers are uniquely placed to be able to help adaptation to climate change through their land with projects like rainwater harvesting and on-farm reservoirs, NFU President Peter Kendall said today.

Responding to the launch of the EU’s green paper on adaptation to climate change in Europe, Mr Kendall said: “Climate change is happening and we must be prepared to adapt to the impacts. But it is important that the steps we take to adapt link in with options to both mitigate and take advantage of climate change. Farmers are already adapting to the challenges on a daily basis on their farms, but to be able to do more it is vital that appropriate incentive structures and advisory systems are in place

“Farmers and growers are uniquely placed to be able to help adaptation to climate change through systems like rainwater harvesting, increased water efficiency, on-farm reservoirs and sustainable soil management. But agriculture can also offer significant opportunities for combating climate change through the production of renewable energy, through systems such as anaerobic digestion.

“But education and the transfer of knowledge are also important if we want to make sure farmers are in a position to continue to respond to the challenges and projects like Farming Futures, which have been set up to help advise farmers about what they can do, have a vital role to play.”

The NFU supported some of the points in the green paper, such as the need to have an effective early response to the challenges posed by climate change, but it was important that as much information as possible was made available, Mr Kendall added.