Background information:

The Paris Agreement (PA), adopted in 2015 and ratified in 2016, became the first international climate agreement to prioritize food security. Its key objectives include to strengthen the global response to the threat of CC by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. The importance to support climate change adaptation of and mitigation through the agriculture sectors whilst improving their productivity capacity is also emphasized in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which represent the country-driven roadmap to implement the Paris Agreement. The agriculture sectors are prominent in countries’ adaptation and mitigation contributions in the NDCs, and are highlighted as providing particular opportunities for synergies.  32 Countries specifically refer to climate-smart agriculture – an approach to simultaneously address sustainable productivity increase, adaptation and mitigation, where possible - in their NDCs.  The NDC commitments are part of countries’ strategies to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which provide the broader cross sector sustainability ambition in which action within the agriculture sectors needs to be embedded.

Purpose

Countries are now embarking on the implementation of these NDCs. What does this mean for the agricultural sectors? How do countries adapt their policies and adopt ‘climate-smart’ approaches to agriculture? What can we learn from countries that have championed CSA implementation?  These are some of the questions that the side events wants to address. 

The side event will further be an opportunity to inform participants on FAO’s on-going work to update and enhance the Climate Smart Agriculture Sourcebook.

Responsible office:

CSA MAW (CBC/SP2)

Languages:

English, French, Spanish

Agenda:

• Introduction: FAO Chair (René Castro - Assistant Director-General Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department (CB))
• Implementing NDCs in the agriculture sectors – insights and lessons from climate-smart agriculture country experiences
• Africa: Tanzania Ms. Shakwaanande Natai, Head of Environment Management Unit, Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries – CSA in Tanzania
• Asia: Vietnam Dr. Tran Dai Nghia, Director, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Economics, Leader, Climate change and REDD+ Research Group, Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture & Rural Development (IPSARD) – CSA in Vietnam.
• Questions from the floor (facilitator – A. Agostini, Senior Natural Resources Officer FAO)
• Closure

Themes for the presentation and discussion:

• How have countries brought the climate, agriculture development and food security agendas in line?
• What are the key ingredients and barriers to move towards climate-smart agriculture?
• How do country strategies on agriculture change when taking climate change into consideration? 
• Which promising experiences can be built upon to meet country commitments in NDCs in the agriculture sectors?
• How does this fit into countries’ broader commitments and strategies to meet the SDGs?

Related links:

Webcast: Climate-smart agriculture: Country experiences and lessons for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) implementation

Twitter hashtag:

#CL156;