In the midst of the current drought crisis facing South Africa, the Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture (GFIA) believes that there is a need for urgent long-term, sustainable, innovative solutions that will help mitigate the impact of climate change in order to achieve food security in the country.

Already, the GFIA points out that the local economy has declined as a direct result of the drought, while the agriculture sector specifically has declined by 17.4% quarter-on-quarter owing to the drought.

Moreover, with the drought being a result of the lack of adequate summer rainfall, combined with depleting water levels in major dams in South Africa, the country has introduced water restrictions and water supply deliveries to those areas worst affected.

Amid this threat to food security, South Africa already faces the reality of having to import maize to avert a food shortage.

Therefore, the GFIA project director Mark Beaumont notes that, although the challenges of climate change and its impact on agriculture have been much documented, comparatively less information is available on the solutions and innovations that can help farmers adapt to climate changes.

Owing to this, GFIA will be hosting a conference and expo on December 1 and 2, at the Durban Exhibition Centre in KwaZulu-Natal this year.

“This will be Africa’s most influential event for the future of sustainable agriculture as GFIA Africa will assemble a group of delegates to present on practical solutions needed to effect real change. Also, delegates will present on practical solutions that can raise productivity and minimise postharvest losses in all parts of the continent,” says Beaumont.

He highlights that having a segment at the conference allocated to presentations on innovation will provide farmers or individuals with the opportunity to showcase their own game- changing innovations, technologies and services, which could have an overwhelmingly positive impact on improving farm productivity and supporting agricultural development.

For the South African context, Beaumont indicates that, in order to ensure sustainable agriculture and also find ways to mitigate the impact of climate change, there is a significant need for collaboration between government, the private sector, the farming community and environmentalist stakeholders.