POINT OF VIEW/ Masa Iwanaga: We must help farming nations prepare for worst

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's pledge to implement a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 has been lauded throughout the global community.

But Japan can do more to demonstrate its leadership on climate change.

As a specialist in agronomy, I propose that Japan make full use of its advanced farming technology, as well as its experience in helping developing countries that rely on agriculture for economic livelihood. Japan's expertise will help these countries adapt to climate change, which is expected to have a major impact on harvests in years to come.

Industrialized countries such as Japan, the United States and European nations, as well as the fast-growing economies of China, India and Russia, account for nearly 80 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions created by burning fossil fuels.

It goes without saying that efforts by these countries to cut emissions will have a crucial bearing on the wellbeing of the planet.

Developing countries release far less greenhouse gases. For those countries, what is more urgent than cutting emissions is how to improve adaptability to climate change and minimize future damage to their farming industries. In other words, on a global scale, "emissions cut" and "adaptability to climate change" need to be dealt together as the two wheels of a cart.

Last fall, when I met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Addis Ababa, I was asked for advice on agricultural technology to cope with climate change. Ethiopia is a primarily agricultural country. Agriculture makes up 60 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and feeds about 80 percent of its population. However, as is the case with many developing countries, farming in Ethiopia is greatly influenced by weather conditions because of inadequate infrastructure, such as irrigation systems.

Ethiopia was hit by a major drought in 1984, causing some 1 million people to starve to death. The situation was so horrible that it was likened to "hell on earth." Weather has been unstable since 2008 and farmers are worried that the nightmare of a quarter century ago may strike again.

In developing countries such as Ethiopia, climate change could determine the nation's economic and social stability.

But Ethiopia's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are less than 1 percent of Japan's.

In response to Prime Minister Meles' request, I made the following proposals: 1) Introduction of water-saving cultivation technology, which allows farmers to grow crops with less water. 2) Improvement in the varieties of crops that can resist drought. 3) Expanded cultivation of varieties of potatoes whose production is stable even under unfavorable weather conditions. 4) Introduction of technology to build reservoirs for each village.

Actually, these are areas in which Japan's technology and experiences can be very useful. They can be applied to many developing countries that share similar problems.

Japan should add such agricultural aid to the "Hatoyama Initiative" as part of its international contribution. I am confident that by doing so, it can demonstrate international leadership in the truest sense.

Those who suffer the most from climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions by industrialized nations are poor people in developing nations. From now on, while leading the world with its advanced environmental technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Japan should also increase technological assistance and developmental aid to developing countries to help them acquire measures to adapt to global warming.

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The author is director general of the National Institute of Crop Science at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization.