At this year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan, funding pledges from rich industrialized nations fell below the total that global experts and developing countries said is needed to effectively adapt to the climate crisis. Despite shortcomings, civil society organizations, agricultural ministers and lawmakers, farmers, journalists, and business leaders came together to connect the dots between food and climate. As part of this work, Food Tank hosted a week of on-the-ground programming to center food and agriculture systems in climate solutions.
Each morning, Food Tank and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Food Tank set the tone for the day by coordinating breakfast sessions with agricultural ministers and other key food systems leaders at the IICA Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion. Discussions focused on the impact of the climate crisis on regional farmers and how countries are responding, the potential of diversified cropping systems, and the status of negotiations at the Conference. Speakers included Patrese Anderson, U.S. Department of State; Lloyd Day, IICA; Kathya Fajardo, IICA; Carol Franco, agricultural negotiator, Dominican Republic; Laurie Goodwin, CropLife International; Rattan Lal, The Ohio State University; Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Belize; Fernando Mattos, Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Uruguay; Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Dominica; Sieglinde Snapp, CIMMYT; and Margaret Zeigler, IICA.
Following each breakfast session, Food Tank and IICA co-hosted daily Climate Dialogues, structured as mini-summits, with panel conversations and keynote remarks. These Dialogues focused on themes such as soil health, a just transition of the livestock sector, and the link between water security and resilient food systems. Speakers included Jack Bobo, University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute; Kyle Bridgeforth, Farmer and FFAR; Dan Christenson, PepsiCo; Lloyd Day, IICA; Brad Doyle, Farmer and USSEC; Josefina Eisele, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef; Gilles Froment, IDF; John Gilliland, Northern Irish Beef and Willow Farmer and UK Ag and Horticulture Development Board; Krysta Harden, US Dairy Export Council; Jerry Hatfield, Former USDA Natural Resources & Environment Lab; Marilyn Hershey, Dairy Farmer and Dairy Management Inc.; Rashad Huseynov, Agricultural Economics Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Azerbaijan; Muhammad Ibrahim, IICA; Mark Isbell, Farmer and USA Rice; Rattan Lal, The Ohio State University; Ignacio Lorenzo, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; Bob Lowe, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef; Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Belize; Fernando Mattos, Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Uruguay; Eric Mittenthal, Protein PACT; Grazielle Parenti, Syngenta Group; Elena Xochitl Ramírez Reivich, Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico; Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Dominica; Amanda Soares Roza, CNA Brazil; Dina Saleh, IFAD; Natasha Santos, Chief Sustainability Officer, Bayer; Sieglinde Snapp, CIMMYT; Gene Stoel, U.S. Farmer; Wietse Vroom, Inspiratus Technologies; Robin Woodward, Carbon Asset Solutions.
Each afternoon, Food Tank and the Future Economy Forum hosted a series of luncheon discussions to facilitate conversations between climate journalists and farmers and create space for them to hear from other food systems stakeholders. Speakers included Helmy Abouleish, SEKEM; Naglaa Ahmed, EoL Global; Kriton Arsenis, U4Earth; Lauren Baker, Global Alliance for the Future of Food; Million Belay, Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa; Dizzanne Billy, Climate Tracker; Souvik Chongder, Global Climate Care; Wei Qian Chua, Chinese Media Group; Ahmed El-Shazly, SEKEM; Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes; Merijn Dols, NOW Partners; Ayenat Mersie Ejigu, Devex; Renata Fontanetto, Freelance Science and Health Journalist; David Gelles, New York Times; Fiona Harvey, The Guardian; Ibrahim Khalil, CNN Academy and Renew Earth News; Walter Link, Future Economy Forum; John Dennis Liu, filmmaker; Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism Solutions; Maximiliano Manzoni, Climate Tracker; Ledama Masidza, CNN; Rosinah Mbenya, PELUM Kenya; Milliam Murigi, People Daily Newspaper in Kenya; Manei Naanyu, PELUM-Kenya; Jayashree Nandi, Hindustan Times; Oliver Oliveros, Agroecology Coalition; Daniel Povel, APCNF Global; Gabriel Quintana, Imaflora; Alexandra Scott, Climate Diplomacy; Umar Manzoor Shah, IPS News; and Kate Warren, Devex;
Food Tank and the Future Economy Forum also hosted a series of Solutions Dialogues to center the voices of pavilion and community leaders and provide them an opportunity to discuss what is working in food and agriculture systems across the globe. Speakers included Helmy Abouleish, SEKEM; Nermin Abulata, Ministry of Industry, Egypt; Princess Mashael Al-Shalan, AEON Collective; Naglaa Ahmed, EoL Global; Ana Catalina, FoodBanking Network; Susan Chomba, World Resource Institute; Omar El Nemr, VNV; Ahmed El-Shazly, SEKEM; Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes; Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism Solutions; Merijn Dols, NOW Partners; Rosinah Mbenya, PELUM Kenya; Thoraya Seada; Heliopolis University; Daniel Povel, APCNF Global; Richard Zaltzman, EIT Food.
To conclude programming in the Blue Zone each day, Food Tank and IICA hosted happy hour sessions featuring special fireside chats and networking. These events, attended by COP29 negotiators and food systems stakeholders, featured discussions with Curt Delice, IICA; Krysta Harden, US Dairy Export Council; Rodrigo Lima, Agroicone; Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Dominica; and Margaret Zeigler, IICA.
Food Tank also participated in events organized by our strategic partners, including the FAIRR Initiative, Jeremy Coller Foundation, TAPP Coalition, Climate Citizen International, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and ProVeg International. The UNFCCC Side Event “Agri-Food Finance & Enabling Policies to Drive Climate Action,” featured speakers including Willem Branten, TAPP Coalition; Renée Brunelle, Senior Advisor and Practice Leader in Environment, SOCODEVI; Lasse Bruun, UN Foundation; Nikita Eriksen-Hamel, Global Affairs Canada; Patricia Fuller, International Institute for Sustainable Development; Myra Jackson, Earth Law Center; Trinto Mugangu, African Climate Action Initiative; Zitouni Ould-Dada, FAIRR Initiative; and Mike Terungwa, Citizens’ Climate International. A session in Canada’s Pavilion entitled “Canadian Leadership in Climate Change & Agriculture: Domestic and International Perspectives,” featured Donal Brown, IFAD; Keith Currie, Canadian Federation of Agriculture; Alicia Lopez-Alvarez, World Vision Canada; Bob Lowe, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef; Mesfin Mathewos, Canadian Foodgrains Bank; and Regina Schmidt, World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator. And a session at the Action on Food Hub focused on “Policy Initiatives from Action on Food Hub Partners,” featured speakers including Alma Castrejon-Davilla, Changing Markets Foundation; Jennifer Chow, Environmental Defense Fund; Mateusz Ciasnocha, Farmer and CA4SH Coalition; Vince Cinches, World Animal Protection; Anna-Lena Klapp, ProVeg International; Rita Lousa, Tetrapak; Gonzalo Muñoz, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, COP25 and Ambition Loop; Ginya Truitt Nakata, The Nature Conservancy; Kate Newbury-Hyde, World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Pavel Partha, Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge; Diane Sibanda, Botswana Farmers Association; and Joanne Trewern, ProVeg International.
To conclude each evening, Food Tank co-hosted special Solutions Dialogue Dinners to encourage silo-breaking conversations outside of the Blue Zone. The five-part series of sold-out dinners brought together close to 1,200 attendees with agricultural ministers, farmers, journalists, policymakers, food business leaders, civil society advocates, and more in attendance across five beautiful venues throughout Baku. Each night featured remarks from stakeholders, including Susan Chomba, World Resources Institute; Rania Dagash-Kamara, U.N. World Food Programme; Lloyd Day, IICA; Hailemariam Dessalegn, AGRA Board Chair and the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Thomas Lingard, Unilever; Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism Solutions; Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Belize; Vincent Martin, U.N. Food nad Agriculture Organizaiton; Eric Mittenthal, Protein PACT; Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Dominica; Richard Zaltzman, EIT Food.
You can also read more about the outcomes of the Conference by clicking HERE.
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