Azernews.Az

Nazrin Abdul

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The growing demand for food is intensifying pressure on global resources, according to Mukhtar Babayev, the President's Representative on Climate Issues in Azerbaijan. He spoke at the Agribusiness Development Forum in Baku today, Azernews reports.

Babayev emphasised that agriculture is a strategically vital sector for meeting basic human needs. He noted, "The production capacity of water and land resources barely meets current demand. Meanwhile, the increasing demand for food is further straining these resources."

According to the FAO, approximately 1.7 billion hectares of land globally have been degraded due to human activity, with over 60% of this being arable and pasture land used in agriculture.

Babayev also highlighted agriculture’s sensitivity to climate change, stressing, "The negative impacts of climate change, such as rising droughts, soil salinisation, and extreme weather events, are decreasing productivity and threatening global food security."

He added that more frequent heatwaves, storms, and floods are exacerbating these challenges. "While there were about 100 natural disasters per year in the 1970s, that number has now increased to 400, further endangering food security and agriculture’s sustainability."