Background

Climate change is jeopardizing the productivity of many agrifood systems, exacerbating disparities and disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities. Soil and water, two crucial resources for virtually all agricultural food production, have been deteriorating in recent decades due to unsustainable human activity. As current agricultural practices lead to rapid soil degradation, loss of fertility, pollution and water scarcity, many governments and farmers are now exploring innovative solutions and turning to science and technology to identify integrated management practices that will improve the productivity of their systems and contribute to alleviating food and nutrition insecurity.

Objectives

This side event builds upon the outcomes of the Global Symposium on Soils and Water and the Rome Water Dialogue 2023 which took place from 2 to 5 October. It will highlight the latest developments and initiatives on integrated soil and water management for climate change mitigation and adaptation and showcase some field examples of applied technologies. Innovative practical solutions to decarbonize soils and improve soil health and water use efficiency, strategies to promote integrated governance of natural resources, and best management options to address water scarcity and strengthen the resilience of agrifood systems to climate change will be discussed. The event will provide insights on how bringing together scientific evidence and policy can support informed decision making and translate it into concrete actions on the ground that have a direct impact on the livelihoods of small- and medium-holder farmers and their communities.  

Agenda, 19 October 2023, 09:00-10:30, Green Room, FAO headquarters and online

Moderator, Mr Daniel Gustafson, Special Representative of FAO Director-General

09:00-09:05

Opening remarks, Dr QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO

09:05-09:20

Keynote presentation “Djibouti Vision and Plan of action against hunger”, H. E. Mohamed Ahmed Awaleh, Minister of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, Livestock and Fishery Resources, Djibouti (TBC)

09:20-09:35

Keynote presentation “Outcomes and recommendations from the 2023 Global Symposium on Soil and Water”, Prof Rosa Poch, Chair, Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils

09:35-10:15

Panel discussion on the needs and opportunities in integrated soil and water management to cope with climate change and the perspectives from academia, producers, policy makers and the private sector:

• Ms Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson, Programme Manager, Team Lead, International Policy, Water for Resilient Landscapes, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
• Dr Cary Fowler, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security
• Dr Ahmed H. El-Naggar, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA)
• Mr Axel Schmidt, Catholic Relief Services, Technical Advisor, Water-Smart Agriculture programme in the Caribbean
• Dr Federico Trucco, Bioceres Crops 
• Ms Meena Dhakal, Vice Chairperson, Nepal Agriculture Cooperative Central Federation Limited (NACCFL)
• Dr Amarjit Basra, Director and Chief Scientist, OCP Group

10:15-10:25

Q&A session

10:25-10:30

Closing remarks by Mr Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO 

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