Tuesday 22 July 2008

FANRPAN convenes climate change meeting for senior policy makers

23 June 2008. The Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have hosted a meeting which has brought together policy makers and scientists to network in developing adaptation strategies to ensure regional food security in the light of adverse weather changes. More than 40 delegates from 12 countries are attending the meeting with the theme, "Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: Targeting the Most Vulnerable".
FANRPAN Director for Research, Dr. Douglas Merrey, said his organization is well placed to act as a broker between scientists, doing research on climate change and adaptation to climate change, and policy makers to make critical decisions, some of which have irreversible effects if they are uninformed.
"Our main focus is on the policy implications of climate change, that is to say, what policy support will be needed to enable Southern African food systems to adapt to climate change in terms of rainfall and temperature," said Dr. Merrey.
FANRPAN's interest in climate change policy extends beyond specific projects in the region to researchers and representatives of civil society who need to know what is required of policy.
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