Climate change could have wide effect on South Asian agriculture: UNEP

Changes in the global climate could negatively impact South Asian agriculture and the region's millions of people who depend on it, the top United Nations environment official said today.

Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said the weather phenomenon could affect the region's crop yields, soil fertility and agricultural zones.

Speaking at a workshop in New Delhi on adaptation to climate change for agricultural, Mr. Toepfer stressed the need to develop long-term polices and measures to anticipate and protect the well-being of the millions of people in the region whose survival is based on agriculture and related activities.

Global warming, and the precipitation changes it brings, would vary region by region, Mr. Toepfer noted, calling for climate change adaptation strategies to correspond with national priorities in natural resource management and the protection of the environment.