MOLLY JAHN: "So it represents both an activity that’s essential for our survival -- an activity that is threatened by climate change, especially in vulnerable parts of the world -- and an opportunity to better manage meeting our needs, while we reduce the emissions of various greenhouse gases that are accumulating in the atmosphere."

Professor Jahn says moving toward "climate-smart agriculture" should be at the center of policy considerations.

The scientists call for efforts to reduce the huge amount of food that gets wasted or goes bad before it can be eaten. Professor Jahn says another recommendation is for farmers to plant more crops that put less pressure on the environment.

MOLLY JAHN: "Given current knowledge, there's a great deal we can do within current budgets and within current economic structures that will bring us forward to a better place with respect to agricultural practices in the developing and in the developed world."

The article says the "integration of agriculture in the climate change negotiating process" has been moving slowly. But, it says, at the same time climate change and population growth have been moving much faster.

The article calls on scientists to play a bigger part in the issue by making sure climate change negotiators have clear data available. Such information, they say, could help increase investment in agriculture.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Arick Simms. I'm Jin Tedder.