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The Paris Agreement, reached in December 2015, aims to limit the increase in global average temperatures to ‘well below 2°C’ and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. It will come into force in 2020. Reaching a 2°C target will require important shifts in the way we live and work – and also in how we practise agriculture. Although agriculture is not explicitly mentioned in the Paris Agreement, it can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as to climate change mitigation measures. Scientific evidence shows that the world’s smallholder farmers, who produce much of the food in developing countries, are today facing the impacts of climate change and the degradation of natural resources. These effects include lower crop yields, reduced water availability, and soil erosion. All these contribute to increased food insecurity, not only for smallholder farmers but for the populations of developing countries as a whole. The international community will need to address these issues as part of its efforts to improve food security and reach the goals set out in Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with its mission to unleash the potential of poor rural people and mobilize greater investment in rural areas, sees itself as playing a critical role is such efforts. A key element of IFAD’s mission is to assist smallholder farmers adapt to climate change and to help them build their resilience.SUPPORTING GOVERNMENTS’ INTENDED NATIONAL DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS The importance of climate-related actions in agriculture is highlighted by the fact that it features in 80 per cent of Intended National Determined Contributions (INDCs). This is a clear indication that countries wish to take action on two fronts: adapting agriculture to the effects of climate change and reducing emissions from unsustainable farming practices. For developing countries, the degree to which they will succeed in taking climate adaptation and mitigation measures (in line with their national climate plans) depends on the financial and technical assistance they receive from their bilateral and international partners. In this regard, IFAD has become a major player in providing finance and technical support to smallholder farmers as they adapt to climate change. DR KANAYO F. NWANZE, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (IFAD)CLIMATE, FOOD SECURITY AND SMALLHOLDERS: AN ESSENTIAL CONNECTION“SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THE WORLD’S SMALLHOLDER FARMERS, WHO PRODUCE MUCH OF THE FOOD IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, ARE TODAY FACING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE DEGRADATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES ”Photo Credit: UN Photo/Logan Abassi 076 AGRICULTURE