§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to assist countries to(a) assemble stocks of crop plants likely to be more suitable to possible climate changes, (b) review irrigation schemes in the light of climate changes and (c) develop guidance to farmers and village communities on the likely impact of climate change.
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§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Overseas Development Administration is funding research to predict the influence of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide on the growth and yield of crops such as sorghum and groundnut. Through contributions to centres in the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, Britain is a major contributor to the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources. Under its renewable natural resources research strategy the ODA supports research into crop physiology and the development of new species which will be better suited to changing environmental conditions, particularly the environmental stresses of drought and salinity.
The ODA also provides support for genetic resources conservation of crop plants and their wild host relatives at international agricultural research centres and is funding research projects in the Sahel and in the middle east.
The ODA is funding two studies on the impact of climate change for the Governments of Ghana and Kenya. This work includes specialist exploration of the potential effects of climate change on agricultural practices, including irrigation. The studies will present policy options for Governments and will address the institutional means by which these could be implemented, including the need for extension programmes to provide guidance to local communities.