[ti:Experts Want Agriculture at Center of Climate Deal] [ar:Marsha James] [al:Agriculture Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]The Paris International Agricultural Show [00:03.96]is the biggest farming event in France. [00:07.96]The show has plenty of farm animals, [00:11.20]growers and other people every year. [00:14.53]This year some of those attending [00:17.42]considered the effects of climate change on farm production. [00:23.18]Farmers and experts from around the world [00:26.40]spoke about ways to prepare agriculture [00:29.84]for a more difficult and possibly uncertain future. [00:34.86]Bigger droughts, more flooding and stronger storms [00:40.01]are some of the effects [00:42.29]that climate change has brought to our planet. [00:46.14]Farmers are reacting to the effects of rising temperatures. [00:51.15]But many small family farmers in developing countries [00:55.00]suffer because of the changing conditions. [00:59.05]By the year 2050, farmers will have to feed [01:04.04]a world population of about 9.6 billion. [01:09.23]Just over seven billion people are alive today. [01:13.69]Jose Graziano da Silva is Director-General [01:18.47]of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. [01:23.16]He says that to deal with climate change, [01:26.86]agriculture must become more sustainable, [01:30.12]more resilient and more widely available. [01:34.09]He says even the poorest people have a right to food. [01:39.37]"Always, the poorest and the smallest are the most vulnerable. [01:46.16]Starting from the fact they are already in marginal awareness, [01:50.73]so they are the first that are affected by a drought or by a flood [01:57.01]that are let's say the current, ongoing impacts of the climate change." [02:04.01]The UN's Food and Agricultural Organization chief spoke [02:09.01]at an international meeting in Paris. [02:12.01]He and other delegates looked at the issue of climate change and agriculture. [02:17.83]A major UN climate conference will take place in the French capital in December. [02:24.39]The goal of those talks is to reach an international deal [02:28.97]to cut greenhouse gas emissions. [02:32.50]Studies have found links between such gases and rising temperatures. [02:38.78]French President Francois Hollande said the U.N. conference [02:48.94]will not settle all the climate change problems. [02:52.64]But he said it must at least give the world a reason for hope. [02:58.90]He said it is important to define a plan of action [03:03.59]to fight climate change, and agriculture must be part of the solution. [03:10.00]Evelyn Nguleka of Zambia is President of the World Farmers Organization. [03:17.90]She told VOA that farmers are looking for real solutions. [03:23.42]"Because it is one thing just to send out an alarm [03:27.37]that there is going to be weather pattern changes. [03:31.17]But what is important for the farmer is [03:34.13]how is a farmer going to be able to survive? [03:36.56]So resilience for us is a key word [03:39.47]- and of course, that goes with innovations." [03:42.72]Nadjirou Sall of northern Senegal heads an organization called ROPPA. [03:49.99]It represents West African farmers. [03:53.27]He said the area where he lives has been dealing [03:57.38]with long, dry weather for many years. [04:00.61]He said the Paris climate conference will be useful [04:05.27]if it considers the problems of family farmers like himself. [04:10.20]If not - as far as he is concerned - it will be a failure. [04:16.84]I'm Marsha James. [04:21.21]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM