The planet’s climate is rapidly changing due to global warming, and at current trajectories will continue to do so for the decades ahead. This poses major challenges for future agricultural systems to provide food and other bioresources for the 9 billion people that will occupy the planet by 2050. In addition, climate and weather-related shocks will impact on the livelihoods of millions of people globally, with the poorest being particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Inter-disciplinary approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture and agri-food systems are essential to ensuring that food security and livelihood needs are met, especially for the poorest communities and households. The scale of the challenge to rapidly decarbonise agriculture and other sectors, while developing systems for climate change adaptation and resilience strentghening measures, is immense and urgent.
The CCAFS 2017 Scientific Conference hosted by NUI Galway and the global CCAFS program brings together ~150 of the world’s leading experts on climate change, agriculture and food security to discuss and debate these challenges. The CCAFS 2017 Scientific Conference has been devised and developed by a Scientific and a Local Organizing Committee, and we are thankful to these dynamic groups for all of their efforts in preparing for the conference.
We are hugely grateful to our sponsors (Irish Aid, Bord Bia, EPA, GAA, Galway University Foundation, Failte Ireland, CCAFS, NUI Galway) for their support.
On behalf of the Scientific and Local Organizing Committee,
Charles Spillane (NUI Galway) & Bruce Campbell (CCAFS)
Conference participants were from 27 countries globally
