Food Tank’s Dispatch from the U.N. Climate Change Conference is a special newsletter series running daily during COP29. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe to Food Tank’s newsletter now by clicking here.
Today’s the big day!
Every day at COP29 here in Baku has a theme to spark discussion and guide action, and today’s is Food, Water and Agriculture. Up until just a few years ago, there was no official food-related day nor even food systems pavilions at COP conferences, and I am excited to see long-overdue attention being paid to food systems.
Yesterday, I had the honor of starting the day off with a discussion with Fernando Mattos, Uruguay’s Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, at the IICA Pavilion, and I’ve been reflecting deeply on a line from an article he co-wrote last month:
“The future is not random. Its design depends on our decisions,” he wrote with IICA Director-General Manuel Otero. “With the right approach, we can meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.”
Indeed, so much of our future depends on whether world leaders are willing to step up this week and make meaningful investments toward combatting the climate crisis and helping the planet recover from the damage we’ve already caused.
And food and agriculture systems must be part of any big-picture solution. As we heard during a variety of events yesterday at the Food and Ag Pavilion, sustainable agriculture and innovation are inseparable from building climate resilience. As Dr. Sajid Haidar said during a conversation at the pavilion: “We need to move to a low emission agri-food system, but we need to do that in a just way. We cannot leave behind our vulnerable and smallholder farmers.”
This reality must be reflected in the financial outcomes from this COP, as well. As we were reminded at the Action on Food Hub Pavilion yesterday, family farmers produce more than 80 percent of the world’s food and receive only about 0.3 percent of international climate funds.
We saw some tentative good news yesterday: The “loss and damage fund” we first heard about at COP27 in Egypt, two years ago, is finally taking shape, with over US$700 million in commitments so far—a good start, but not nearly enough—to help lower-income countries respond to natural disasters made worse by the climate crisis. And in Brazil, where leaders are also meeting for the G20 Summit, countries reached what Reuters called a “fragile consensus” on the importance of climate finance, but no obligatory commitments have been agreed upon yet at either COP29 here in Baku or at the G20 in Brazil.
Climate financing is about more than just money, said Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, the inaugural Executive Director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
“We’re talking about people’s lives,” he told the New York Times. “There’s a human face to what we do, and that should inspire us to go faster and better.”
Those who are impacted most by climate change need to be on the front lines of leading our way out of this crisis. They know, from working in the ground day in and day out, that food and agriculture systems are powerful solutions to the climate crisis. We need people in power to listen to them and elevate their voices in decision-making.
As we have more discussions about food, water, and agriculture at COP29, I hope we’ll all be inspired by Fernando Mattos’s words I quoted earlier: “The future is not random. Its design depends on our decisions.”
Add These To Your Calendar:
9:00AM–10:00AM @ the IICA Pavilion: “Agriculture for Peace” daily morning coffee series, with food/agriculture ministers and experts. Speakers include: Margaret Zeigler, IICA; Dr. Patrese Anderson, U.S. Department of State; Sieglinde Snapp, CIMMYT.
10:30AM–12:00PM @ the IICA Pavilion: “Food and Agriculture Day.” Register HERE. Speakers include: Lloyd Day, IICA; the Hon. Roland Royer, Dominica Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy; Fernando Mattos, Uruguay Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries; Elena Xochitl Ramirez Reivich, Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico (SADER); and Margaret Zeigler, IICA.
12:00PM–1:00PM @ The Future Economy Forum’s Action on Food Pavilion: “From Carbon Credits to Compensation for Ecosystem Services, Africa and Egypt Leading the Way,” a daily roundtable luncheon discussion. Register HERE.
Speakers include: Fiona Harvey, The Guardian; Milliam Murigi, People Daily Newspaper, Kenya; Ledama Masidza, CNN Academy; Naglaa Ahmed, EOL Global; Lauren Baker, Global Alliance for the Future of Food; Million Belay, Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA); Rosinah Mbenya, PELUM Kenya; John Dennis Liu, Commonland Foundation; Daniel Povel, NOW Partners; and Merijn Dols, NOW Partners.
12:00PM–1:00PM @ Canada Pavilion, in partnership with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Speakers include: Donal Brown, IFAD; Alicia Lopez-Alvarez, World Vision Canada; Keith Currie, Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA); Regina Schmidt, World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator; Mesfin Mathewos, Canadian Foodgrains Bank; Bob Lowe, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB); Renée Brunelle, SOCODEVI; and Nikita Eriksen-Hamel, Global Affairs Canada.
2:00PM–3:30PM @ Future Economy Forum’s Action on Food Pavilion: Theme: “Policy Initiatives from Action on Food Hub Partners.” Speakers include: Mateusz Ciasnocha, CA4SH Coalition; Rita Lousa, Tetrapak; Jennifer Chow, Environmental Defense Fund; Anna-Lena Klapp, ProVeg International; Joanne Trewern, ProVeg International; Vince Cinches, World Animal Protection; Alma Castrejon-Davilla, Changing Markets Foundation; Gonzalo Muñoz, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, Ambition Loop; Diane Sibanda, Botswana Farmers Association; Pavel Partha, Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK); Kate Newbury-Hyde, World Business Council for Sustainable Development; and Ginya Truitt Nakata, The Nature Conservancy.
3:30PM–5:00PM @ Future Economy Forum’s Action on Food Pavilion: A daily dialogue series with pavilion and community leaders. Speakers include: Rosinah Mbenya, PELUM Kenya; Naglaa Ahmed, EoL Global; Ahmed El Shazly, SEKEM; Ana Toni, Brazil Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; and Angela Pinhati, Natura.
4:00PM–5:00PM @ The Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion facilitated by IICA: Happy hour collaborative celebration with COP climate negotiators and experts. Register HERE. Speakers include: the Hon. Roland Royer, Dominica Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy; Curt Delice, IICA Suriname; Margaret Zeigler, IICA USA.
6:00PM–9:00PM @ Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum: Invitation-only dinner and dialogue series, “Scaling Regenerative Agriculture Innovations.” Find details HERE.
News Stories/Reports I’m Reading Today:
- A Toolkit For National Action On Climate, Biodiversity, and Water in Agriculture and Food Systems — This WWF report is a helpful guide to tools and best practices for building climate adaptation and action plans—formally for national governments, but useful and relevant to all levels of policymaking.
- Young people, whose futures are at stake in UN climate talks, push through anger to fight for hope — The Washington Post spotlights the young people that, even when they feel disregarded and sidelined at events like COP, continue to fight the good fight.
- Turning Point: Feeding The World Sustainably — This report by Deloitte puts long-term food systems transformation in starkly economic terms, highlighting the costs of action—and the higher costs of inaction.
- Global Analysis: Agrifood Systems in Nationally Determined Contributions — Almost all countries are identifying agrifood systems in their COP climate action plans, an optimistic step toward reaching the potential of food as a climate solution, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations finds.
- Op-Ed: Ambitious Climate Finance Goal is not Enough—the Funds must also Reach the Right Communities — “Only funds that actually reach the communities on the frontline of the climate crisis and truly meet their needs will contribute to delivering climate justice,” Fati N’zi-Hassane, Africa Director at Oxfam International, writes for IPS.
Powerful Quotes From Recent Discussions:
- “The climate crisis is a food crisis, a water crisis & an economic crisis—hitting those least responsible the hardest.” — Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR (via @CGIAR on X)
- “Africa is, after all, a continent of solutions. Solutions to food security, with fertile lands and natural resources. Solutions for innovation in a youthful and energetic population with the hunger to succeed. Solutions to the climate crisis, in terms of vast potential for land restoration and critical energy transition minerals.” — Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (via UNEP)
- “Youth-led innovation in green sectors strengthens both environmental resilience and economic growth worldwide.” — Vincent Martin, Director of FAO’s Office of Innovation (via @FAOInnovation on X)
Ways To Take Action:
Hold your leaders accountable:
- via WWF — Make sure your country’s NDCs demonstrate the ambition the world needs using WWF’s NDCs We Want Checklist (and check out their assessment of updated NDCs for food systems transformation here).
Learn more about global efforts:
- via IFAD — “Supporting rural women with the resources they need to thrive isn’t just fair – it’s crucial. 📢Say it loud: Rural women are our everyday heroes!” Read more about IFAD’s work to empower rural women HERE.
- via Global Alliance for the Future of Food — “Industrial food systems and unhealthy diets drive the #climatecrisis and rising disease rates. Transforming food production and consumption can lead us to a healthier, fairer future. As #COP29 unfolds, let’s push for food system reforms for better health.” Read the Global Alliance for the Future of Food’s report that showcases 10 food-focused initiatives that have taken action to promote human, ecological, and animal health and well-being HERE.
- via EU Neighbours — “🌍 Climate change is more than rising temperatures – it’s about safeguarding our future. 🌱 Its impacts, from extreme weather to shifting ecosystems, directly threaten 🌊 water security, impacting 🌾 agriculture, 🩺 health, and 🏥livelihoods. As COP29 unfolds in 🇦🇿 Baku, global leaders seek sustainable solutions to mitigate these effects and protect vital resources. Discover why tackling climate change is key to ensuring safe water and resilient communities ➡️ HERE.”
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.
Photo courtesy of Nathaniel Sison, Unsplash
