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A newly released joint World Bank-FAO report summarizes the results of an Expert Group Meeting held in Rome in May 2011 on Climate change adaptation in agricultural investment in East Asia and the Pacific. In addition to existing development challenges that the region already faces in increasing agricultural productivity, its vulnerability to climate change is particularly difficult for those countries in the region with scarce land and water resources, and frequent exposure to extreme weather changes including typhoons, floods and drought.

Climate change poses a serious threat to the region’s efforts to address food security, poverty eradication, sustainable development and progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. To address this concern, FAO’s Investment Centre Division, in collaboration with FAO’s Natural Resources Department and the World Bank Sustainable Development Department - East Asia and the Pacific, jointly organized this meeting of experts with the aim to: (i) reach a better understanding of the issues and options at the frontier of agricultural adaptation to climate change; (ii) identify critical impacts and adaptation strategies and practices; and (iii) explore ways to mainstream climate change preparedness in development programmes.

 For more information see the report.