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Today’s the day!
It’s Food, Agriculture, and Water day at COP28 in Dubai. Recent setbacks don’t change the fact that today is the most important day for the food system at COP28. This the first time that food systems have been highlighted in such a big way at any UN Climate Change Conference, ever.
Regarding high-level negotiations we talked about yesterday, progress is being made on the Global Stocktake. A new draft released yesterday references food and agriculture, but advocates are still pushing for the document to more meaningfully recognize food systems as a key lever for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
If countries commit to working together on issues like food loss and waste, soil health, food security, and more, we can absolutely make a difference on the climate crisis.
“International action is absolutely critical and key to helping agriculture address the causes and consequences of a changing climate,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told us yesterday at the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion.
But we need need to build trust, says Sara Roversi, President of the Future Food Institute, at the Food Systems Pavilion.
“Sometimes the people designing our policies don’t know the reality” of those whose livelihoods are in fishing and farming, she says. “We need to break silos, bring everyone together, and tell them—and show them—that the responsibility they are taking will go beyond the outcome they can show.”
Meaningful action on food systems starts at the grassroots level—literally.
“If we can invest in better health for our soils, we can get the carbon challenge addressed. We get the biodiversity challenge addressed. And then we’ll have better productivity and a better relationship with nature,” Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division at the UN Environment Programme, says at the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion.
Landscape transformation and collaboration have important roles to play here, as we discussed at the Food and Agriculture Pavilion. Partnerships among farmers, and between farmer groups and political actors, help facilitate a shift toward broader regenerative food systems because they look at entire interrelated systems.
“You have an explicit effort to steward the ecosystems which are critical underpinnings for agriculture and food systems. … Having good seed won’t help you if your entire farm gets flooded,” says Sara Scherr, President and CEO of EcoAgriculture Partners.
As soils teach us, our solutions have to be locally rooted. To feed a growing world, we’ll need to listen to those on the ground and elevate the voices of community advocates.
In Africa, “there are often a lot of solutions pushed onto the continent,” says Tasneem Karodia, Co-Founder of New Form Foods, at the Food Systems Pavilion. For her, the priority is “bringing a solution to the market that can also be localized.”
And of course, this might mean we have to challenge some preconceived notions.
The farmer of the future is just as likely to wear a lab coat as they are to drive tractors, says Evan Fraser, Professor of Geography at the University of Guelph, at the Food4Climate Pavilion.
It’s up to those who have the resources—major governments, large corporations, financial networks—to lead the way and invest in the future of the planet.
At the Future Economy Forum Pavilion, experts came together for a great conversation on making sure that food system financing aligns with climate goals. At this event and a UNFCCC side event that also covered economic transition pathways, we addressed urgent ways that strategic financing can help spark food systems transformation.
When millions of people around the world can’t afford a nutritious diet, unlocking capital investments is a humanitarian necessity, says Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, the President and CEO of Food Systems for the Future.
At COP28, the big food and agriculture lobbyists are here in full force—but the food movement needs to show them how they can be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
One way food companies can make a difference is through procurement. For example, in a major win for biodiversity, eight top commodity traders have agreed at COP28 to stop buying soy from producers that threaten South American grasslands.
We’ll take a big step forward today when the UN Food and Agriculture Organization releases its Global Roadmap, the first report in a multi-year process to outline a crystal-clear path for investors and policymakers to step up and translate conversations into action.
The Roadmap will likely present a unified vision for breaking down silos, putting agriculture at the forefront of a sustainable food system transformation, calling for big international coordination, and showcasing the role of climate in protecting food as a human right.
The FAO’s Roadmap shows that “we know where to go in transforming the agri-food systems,” Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director of the FAO, told me yesterday.
I’m looking forward to reading the full Roadmap today. Also coming up, Food Tank has a full schedule of amazing events today, featuring more than 40 amazing speakers! Livestream and in-person details are below, so I hope to see you soon.
Add These Events to Your Calendar:
9:00AM–10:00AM [12:00AM–1:00AM ET] @ the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion facilitated by IICA: Daily progress recap and live interview series, in partnership with Producers Trust and the Forum for Farmers and Food Security. Breakfast, coffee, networking 9–9:30; briefing 9:30–10. LIVESTREAM HERE!
Speakers include: Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture
10:30AM–11:00AM [1:30AM–2:00AM ET] @ Food and Agriculture Pavilion: The role of finance in transforming food systems. LIVESTREAM HERE!Speakers include: Daniela Chiriac, Climate Policy Initiative
11:00AM–11:45AM [2:00AM–2:45AM ET] @ Nordic Pavilion: Tapping into the Hidden Potential of Food Waste. LIVESTREAM HERE! Speakers include: Karen Ellemann, Nordic Council of Ministers; Ertharin Cousin, Food Systems for the Future; Yvette Cabrera, NRDC; Marc Zornes, Winnow Solutions; Katie Carson, Tetra Pak Group
12:30PM–1:30PM [3:30AM–4:30AM ET] @ Future Economy Forum Pavilion: Climate Journalist, Food Producer and High-level Stakeholder Immersive Discussion, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Action on Food Hub.
Speakers include: Fiona Harvey, The Guardian; Leon Lidigu, Nation Media Group (Kenya); Agnes Bweye, Practical Permaculture Institutes of Zanzibar; Karina David, Brazil youth/female farmer; Sheikh Dr. Majid bin Sultan al Qasimmi, U.A.E.; Pavel Partha, Bangladesh Resource Centre For Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK)
1:00PM–1:30PM [4:00AM–4:30AM ET] @ Food and Agriculture Pavilion: Farmers and the Climate Crisis: Success Stories from Ground. LIVESTREAM HERE!
Speakers include: Dr. Million Belay, Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)
1:30PM–2:00PM [4:30AM–5:00AM ET] @ Food and Agriculture Pavilion: How Fair Trade Can Help Producers Invest in Climate Solutions. LIVESTREAM HERE!
Speakers include: Sandra Uwera, Fairtrade International
2:00PM–3:00PM [5:00AM–6:00AM ET] @ University of Pennsylvania Pavilion: The Connection Between Food Waste and Climate Change and the Need (and Opportunities) for Change.
Speakers include: Sara Roversi, Future Food Institute; Craig Hanson, World Resources Institute; Paul Newnham, SDG2 Advocacy Hub; Steven Finn, University of Pennsylvania
3:15PM–4:45PM [6:15AM–7:45AM ET] @ Norway Pavilion: Dialogues with Stakeholders in the Food System, in partnership with UN Global Compact Norway.
Speakers include: Knut Moestue, UN Global Compact Norway; Olowo-n’djo Tchala, AYEYA; Dorothy Shaver, Unilever; Birgit Skarstein, Professional Athlete and Reitan Retail Advisor; Gideon Behar, Israel Special Envoy for Climate Change and Sustainability; Chef Sean Sherman, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS); Brent Loken, WWF; Frineia Rezende, TNC Brasil
4:45PM–5:45PM [7:45AM–8:45AM ET] @ Nordic Pavilion: Food Systems and Healthy Diets for Climate Action, with reception to follow. LIVESTREAM HERE!
Speakers include: Karen Ellemann, Nordic Council of Ministers; Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norway Minister of International Development; Rune Blomhoff, Oslo University; Stefanos Fotiou, UN Food Systems Coordination Hub; Gunhild A Stordalen, EAT; Lawrence Haddad, GAIN
5:30PM–6:00PM [8:30AM–9:00AM ET] @ Food and Agriculture Pavilion: Why We Must Invest in Farmers. LIVESTREAM HERE!
5:45PM–6:30PM @ Nordic Pavilion: Reception, in partnership with the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub
Attendees include: Karen Ellemann, Nordic Council of Ministers; Stefanos Fotiou, UN Food Systems Coordination Hub; Kerstin Stendahl, Finland’s Special Envoy for Climate Change
6:00PM–6:30PM [9:00AM–9:30AM ET] @ Food and Agriculture Pavilion: Ways the private sector can transform food systems. LIVESTREAM HERE!
Speakers include: Dorothy Shaver, Unilever
7:30PM–10:00PM @ BOCA: Natural Farming Banquet, in partnership with Pegasus Capital, Producers Trust, Unilever, and the Forum for Farmers and Food Security. Request invitation HERE.
*please note all listed times are in Dubai local time!
What We’re Thinking About and Reading as COP28 Continues:
- “Achieving SDG2 without breaching the 1.5C threshold: A Global Roadmap” — The Food and Agriculture Organization will release its important new roadmap outlining a variety of clear pathways we can take—across a variety of sectors—to protect the planet and our food systems
- “Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels to hit record this year” — the Financial Times reports that emissions are have grown more quickly in 2023 than the past 10-year average, putting major climate goals in significant
- “School Meals and Food Systems: Rethinking the consequences for climate, environment, biodiversity, and food sovereignty” — a new white paper from the School Meals Coalition shines a spotlight on how planet-friendly policies can have enormous impacts both on children’s health and society at large
- “State of Finance for Nature 2023” — in a brand-new report, the U.N. Environment Programme crunches the numbers on financing for nature-based solutions, and shows how existing investments compare to the targets we need to hit
- “The Devil Is Once Again In The Details At COP28” — Forbes reports on the state of COP28 discussions about phasing out fossil fuels. Plenty of options are on the table, but unanimous consensus is required—so success or failure could come down to a few specific words
Powerful Quotes from COP28 Discussions:
- “We must build a narrative that says you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support a nutritious diet.” — Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, President and CEO, Food Systems for the Future
- “Because our livelihoods rely heavily on weather and climatic conditions, we don’t have much option than to adapt to the realities we are facing.” — Irish Baguilat, Coordinator, the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development
- “It’s critical to ensure that agriculture continues to have a voice at COP.” — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Concrete Ways to Take Action:
Add your name for human rights:
- via UNEP: A clean & healthy environment is a human right. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 75, use your voice to help @UNHumanRights to #Act4RightsNow & push leaders to protect people & the planet: HERE.
Start composting:
- via NRDC: Food waste in the U.S. emits greenhouse gas equal to that of 50 million gas-powered cars. Composting helps to fight this waste while also restoring soil health and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Read more HERE.
Don’t leave anybody behind:
- via IFAD: ✔️Sustainable food systems. ✔️Climate-resilient rural communities. ✔️Increased global security. This is IFAD’s ambition. But for this to happen, we need world leaders to #InvestInRuralPeople today. As we prepare for our last pledging session, read + about the difference it can make HERE.
- via World Fish Center: Incorporate aquatic foods strategy in national climate action plans for mitigation and adaptation, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), to mobilize necessary financing and resources to put countries’ food systems on low-emissions pathway, while increasing food and nutrition security.
- via WWF: “Recognizing the critical role of nature as a climate ally and integrating solutions across sectors will provide a pathway to a more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future for all. We have the solutions right in front of us – we just need to implement them. This is our problem to solve, and our opportunity to take. But we need courageous leadership to get us there. Leave nature to do the rest,” writes Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF.
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Photo Courtesy of Matt Briney, Unsplash
