KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, delivered a charge for immediate financial support and decisive action to address the pressing challenges posed by climate change.

His remarks came during his address at the 43rd Session of the Food and Agriculture (FAO) Conference in Rome, Italy being held from July 1-7.

Under the conference’s thematic focus on “transforming agri-food systems to increase resilience and achieve the 2030 agenda”, Minister Green underscored the critical need to mobilise resources and implement effective measures to combat the escalating crisis of climate change.

Recognising the effects faced by small island developing states like Jamaica, he emphasised that those who contribute the least to the climate crisis often suffer the most from its consequences.

He highlighted the plight of smallholder farmers in Jamaica and other vulnerable nations who struggle to access water resources and lack the necessary tools to adapt to increasingly intense bouts of rainfall and flooding. Green emphasised that time is of the essence, with the 2030 sustainable development goals slipping from their grasp.

Green stressed the need for action on a scale that can deliver sustainable reform to global agri-food systems. He proposed a comprehensive approach through “helping to provide irrigation infrastructure, especially in light of the El Nino phenomenon, working on the biodiversity conservation across the Caribbean, working with our artisanal fishers to upscale and retool, working with financiers to design an appropriate parametric insurance system to create a system where our smallholders, youth and women can access financing to transform their own agrifood systems. It can be done, it must be done.”

Green also conveyed the urgency of the situation, emphasising that tackling climate change requires a collective effort. He urged the FAO and its member states to mobilise financial resources and foster international cooperation to empower smallholders, youth, and women in transforming their agricultural and food systems.

“Jamaica is serious in reducing its carbon footprint and is very deliberate in promoting carbon sequestering”, the minister stated.

In conclusion, Green reiterated that the time for action is now. He called upon the FAO and its partners to work together in securing the necessary funds and implementing practical solutions to address climate change’s far-reaching impacts on agriculture and food production.