"Development of heritage for a sustainable future: adaptation of agriculture, culture and sustainability to climate change" panel discussion was held

Within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), a panel discussion was held on the topic "Development of heritage for a sustainable future: agriculture, culture and sustainability adaptation to climate change".

In the event held at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) pavilion located in the Blue Zone, the issues of shaping a holistic approach to sustainable development by integrating agricultural heritage with modern practices to address climate change, protect biodiversity, manage natural resources and promote socio-cultural values has been discussed.

The panel meeting was moderated by Azad Jafarli, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture. Majnun Mammadov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Salim bin Muhammad al-Maliki, Director General of ICESCO, Manuel Barange, Assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Hesham Al-Askari, Advisor to Director General of ICESCO, spoke at the meeting. .

Azad Jafarli, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, emphasized the need to develop climate-smart agricultural policies that support the integration of traditional agricultural practices with innovative technologies and solutions against the background of modern challenges. Azad Jafarli said that as a result of agrarian activity, agricultural traditions and cultural heritage develop mutually, and emphasized that this factor will have a positive effect on the application of modern technologies, being a solid foundation for successful activity in the future.

At the event, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov touched on the topic "Integration of tradition with innovation: multifaceted approach to sustainable agriculture of Azerbaijan". He spoke about Azerbaijan's agricultural heritage and its role in biodiversity conservation and water management, successful research on combining traditional farming techniques with modern technologies to adapt to changing climate conditions.

Minister Majnun Mammadov said that Azerbaijan, a country with a rich history and deep-rooted agricultural traditions, has favorable climatic conditions for the cultivation of various plants. However, climate change affects Azerbaijan as well as the rest of the world. In recent years, drought, water scarcity, and irregular rainfall are often observed in the country. The minister touched on the measures taken to adapt the agricultural sector to climate change in Azerbaijan, and pointed out that continuous work is being done in the direction of environmental protection and efficient use of land and water resources in our country. The minister said that most of the water resources were formed outside the country, and emphasized that innovative approach and modern technologies, water systems play a very important role in the fight against climate change, modernization of irrigation systems and creation of more efficient water management systems are ongoing in Azerbaijan. At the same time, the use of digital and technological innovations in agricultural production processes is stimulated, priority is given to precise farming methods, the application of innovative practices in the agricultural field, large-scale and systematic measures are taken to protect the soil and biodiversity. The government of Azerbaijan continues to support measures in the direction of ensuring food security, increasing the competitiveness of farmers and creating sustainable agriculture.

Director General of ICESCO, Salim bin Mohammed al-Maliki, spoke about the importance of climate-friendly agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and water management. The ICESCO official noted that loss of biodiversity, climate change, land degradation and water scarcity pose major threats to agro-food systems. In order to achieve sustainable development against the background of modern challenges, he pointed out that cooperation in the fields of digital transformation of agriculture, technology transfer in this field, sharing of advanced practices is necessary.

Azad Jafarli, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Manuel Barange, Assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Hesham Al-Askari, Advisor to the Director General of ICESCO, in response to new challenges, effective use of land and water resources, application of resource conservation approaches, environmental protection, sustainable and innovative farming traditions, protection and efficient use of genetic resources of cultivated plants, local gene pool materials they shared their views on collecting, storing and increasing them, exchanging experience in these directions.

The panel discussion continued in the question-and-answer format.