Ismahane Elouafi: ‘I want to see climate-related solutions from young innovators in Azerbaijan’

CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi expressed her desire to see young innovators from Azerbaijan develop solutions for climate resilience, Report informs.

Speaking on the second day of Baku Climate Action Week, she highlighted the interconnected issues of climate change, such as water resource reduction, and food security deterioration.

“About 10% of the world’s population is facing hunger today, which is approximately 720 million people. Each degree of warming increases the number of people facing hunger. In a world with rising temperatures, around 2 billion people could face hunger. This year, we have witnessed significant warming, resulting in floods, droughts, and longer heat waves that reduce agricultural productivity and increase the vulnerability of communities dependent on food, land, and water systems,” Elouafi said.

She also noted that Azerbaijan is facing the impacts of climate change, which hinder agricultural production and threaten limited freshwater resources.

“Water scarcity here is expected to worsen by 2050, particularly affecting agriculture, which relies heavily on irrigation. In the climate crisis, agriculture is an integral part of agri-food systems and accounts for 70-80% of water use. Water use in agriculture should be considered as part of the equitable transformation process in the agri-food sector. The burden of water-related hazards such as floods and drought falls disproportionately on vulnerable, small-scale producers, especially in low- and middle-income countries,” the director added.