Malaysia, situated near the Equator, faces an urgent challenge as climate change escalates, which needs high attention from the government and all Malaysians to ensure our survival. The nation’s agricultural and farming sector, crucial for its economy and food security, stands at a critical juncture, between maintaining a secure food supply as well maintaining affordable prices. Climate change brings about erratic weather patterns, extreme events, and environmental stressors directly impacting agricultural and farming productivity. To safeguard its food security and ensure sustainable development, Malaysia must adopt strategic measures within a short timeframe before 2030, focusing on agriculture, farming practices, and overall resilience against climate-related threats. The reason why? Our climate change may cause severe drought as well as change in the structure of the regional pattern due to the circular or block-chain effect, especially for those living near the equator. This past week showed the existence of unstable weather and of series of heatwaves that hit ASEAN countries including Malaysia. The seriousness of the dry season followed by heavy rain, will cause severe floods, which Malaysians need to be aware of.
Malaysia’s agricultural and farming landscape comprises a diverse range of crops such as palm oil, rubber, rice, and tropical fruits, it also includes cows, goats, etc.. These sectors contribute significantly to the country’s economy and employment. However, the sector faces multifaceted challenges, including climate vulnerability with increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events affecting crop yields and livestock health. We have less than a few years before the big climate affects Malaysia, which is the prolonged drought season. Additionally, there is a technological lag with limited adoption of advanced farming techniques, inadequate infrastructure, and outdated practices hindering productivity and resilience. Socio-economic factors such as urbanization, land degradation, labor shortages, and market fluctuations further strain the agricultural sector, exacerbating its vulnerabilities. As a Malaysian do you need to worry? My answer is yes, we need to be worried, and we are short of time to prepare for the big drought, big flood, etc. The circular or blockchain will play its effect throughout the system, and if we are not prepared, we may depend on others.
Food security encompasses ensuring a sufficient food supply, accessibility, affordability, and nutritional adequacy. A robust food security strategy shields Malaysia from external shocks, reduces dependency on imports, stabilizes prices, and fosters socio-economic stability. The key components of a comprehensive food security framework include sustainable production through implementing sustainable farming practices, promoting crop diversification, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure. Efficient distribution involves improving supply chain efficiency, reducing food waste, and enhancing market access for farmers. Nutritional education plays a crucial role in raising awareness about healthy eating habits, promoting local and indigenous foods, and addressing food-related health issues.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) integrates climate adaptation and mitigation strategies into agricultural practices. Initiatives under CSA include promoting drought-resistant crops, adopting precision farming techniques, practicing agroforestry, and providing policy support through incentives, subsidies, and training for farmers adopting CSA practices. Crop diversification is another key strategy that involves encouraging farmers to grow various crops to diversify risk and enhance resilience against climate variability. This includes promoting indigenous crops, supporting organic farming, and creating market linkages for diverse crops to ensure market demand and profitability.
Investment in infrastructure is critical for enhancing agricultural resilience. This includes upgrading irrigation systems for water-efficient agriculture, building and upgrading storage facilities to reduce food spoilage, and improving rural connectivity and transportation infrastructure to facilitate the efficient distribution of agricultural products. Empowering smallholder farmers is also essential, involving providing access to credit, offering capacity building and training on modern farming practices, and facilitating their participation in value chains through cooperatives and collective marketing.
Agri-tech adoption is a transformative strategy that harnesses technology and digital solutions to revolutionize agriculture. This includes utilizing sensors, drones, and data analytics for precision agriculture, creating digital market platforms for farmers to access markets and information, and deploying weather forecasting systems and early warning tools for climate-related risks. Strengthening climate information services is equally vital, involving enhancing meteorological services, developing user-friendly climate apps for farmers, and conducting capacity-building programs on climate risks and adaptation measures.
Each strategy comes with its set of advantages and challenges. Climate-smart agriculture enhances resilience, reduces emissions, and improves resource efficiency but may face initial adoption barriers and scalability challenges. Crop diversification diversifies risk, opens new market opportunities, and improves soil health but it requires overcoming transition challenges and ensuring market demand. Investment in infrastructure increases productivity, reduces losses, and improves market access but involves costly investments and maintenance requirements. Empowering smallholder farmers strengthens livelihoods and resilience but requires addressing access barriers and market volatility.
Agri-tech adoption brings efficiency gains, data-driven decision-making, and youth engagement but may face technology gaps and digital divide concerns. Strengthening climate information services improves risk management and informed decisions but may encounter access limitations and data accuracy issues. Overcoming these challenges requires policy support, capacity building, public-private partnerships, international collaboration, and community engagement to ensure the successful implementation of these strategies.
In conclusion, Malaysia’s journey towards agricultural resilience and food security demands a concerted effort from all stakeholders which is all Malaysian. By embracing climate-smart strategies, fostering innovation, empowering farmers, and investing in infrastructure and technology, Malaysia can navigate the challenges of climate change and ensure a sustainable and secure food future. Proactive measures implemented before 2030 can lay the foundation for a resilient agricultural sector capable of withstanding future climate uncertainties. Collaboration, innovation, and adaptation will be the key drivers of success in ensuring food security for generations to come as Malaysia charts its course towards agricultural sustainability.
By Ts. Dr. Hj. Muhammad Khusairy Bin Capt. Hj. Bakri, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University (WSU), and a Lead Research and Development Sector of the Association of Professional Technicians and Technologists (APTT) Sarawak, and Ahmad Faisal Bin Mahdi is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), a Chartered Institute of Marketing member
