Recognizing that agriculture plays a significant role in global warming, farmer associations say they want to offer solutions, and they’re urging governments to include them in negotiations during the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Paris until December 11.

“Farmers and foresters are on the front line of climate change,” says the World Farmers Organization (WFO), an international body of agricultural producers that has a special focus on smallholder concerns.

“Their lives and livelihoods are directly affected by its impact, and they are also vital to implementing many of the solutions we need to help delay and deflect it. Therefore, farmers must be involved in developing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies,” the group adds.

Agriculture is estimated to be directly responsible for 13.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (through methane from animal digestion and nitrous oxide from agricultural soils, among other sources), and indirectly for…