Ghana's aquaculture potential is expected to see increased growth in the next decade, although climate change is expected to bite hard on global food production. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative to Africa, Dr Musah F. Mbenga, made this known at a symposium in Accra, organized by the Soil Science Society of Ghana (SSG) on the theme: "Climate Change and Agricultural Productivity: Implication for soils of Ghana." Speaking on the topic: “Climate change and food security in Africa and Ghana in particular,” Dr Mbenga stated that climate change offered new opportunities for countries in the world's warmest regions to increase their aquaculture output because of better growth rates, long growing seasons and the availability of new fish farming areas where it was once cool. Ghana's aquaculture production, he indicated, had tripled over the last five years to almost 4000 metric tonnes annually and still had the potential for continued high growth. According to him, climate change would affect the suitability of land for different types of crops, livestock, fish and pasture. Health and productivity of the forest, the incidence of pests and diseases, he said, would feel the impact of climate change. These, he stated, would affect the livelihood of over a billion peasant farmers, fishermen and forest dependent people across the world in the next decade. He asserted that using biofuels as a substitute for petroleum products in order to reduce carbon emissions and have freedom from petroleum could have implications for food security as well as protection for current and future land use. According to him, farmers would have to cope with varied and unpredictable water supplies and increasing frequency for droughts and floods. He stated that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had estimated that Africa could lose five to 10 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in an attempt to adapt to climate change. The report, he added, predicted a 50 per cent decline in crop yield from rainfed-agriculture by 2050 due to climate change in some African countries. On managing the risk of global warming, Dr Mbenga suggested, among other solutions, the improvement of monitoring and early warning systems, including monitoring of disaster severity and impact on land as well as development of appropriate land use plans, supported by food security programmes, fisheries and forestry policies. Professor K. B. Laryea of the Department of Soil Science, University of Ghana, dealing with the topic “Impact of soil management on climate change,” said land clearing methods such as “slash and burn” directly increased the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. He added that mechanized land clearing led to considerable soil disturbance, accelerated organic matter decomposition and induced erosion. According to him, greenhouse gas concentrations continued to increase in the atmosphere leading to a rise in temperature which affects oil temperature, vegetation and water bodies. Prof. Laryea stressed the need for alternatives to the current land management systems. Professor S. K. A. Danso, also of the Department of Soil of the university, indicated that in assessing the impact of climate change, a major task would be to manipulate the soil in such a way as to minimize the emission of greenhouse gas. He said for the poor African farmer, soil organic matter decline offered the most serious threats to environmental degradation and food security on the continent. Prof. Danso added that the prevention of all forms of degradation would result in good soil conditions that were perdurable to plant growth, high pasture, crop yields and enhanced food security as well as a healthier human population. Source: Daily Guide