FAO pushes for Agrifood Systems as a solution to the Climate Crisis at the Africa Climate Summit
As curtains closed on the Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week in Nairobi, Kenya; FAO made known its stand on agrifood systems transformation towardsmore efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable systems as a solution to the climate crisis. FAO team led by Abebe Haile-Gabriel,the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, Carla Mucavi, the FAO Kenya Representative and Zitouni Ould-Dada, the Deputy Director in the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment; made presentations throughout the Summit with a rallying call for the transformation of agrifood systems.
FAO in collaboration with its partners participated in several high-level events, sessions and side events on various topics including the Africa Climate Summit high level Side-event on Climate Finance for Adaptation in Agriculture and Food Security in Africa, co-organised by FAO, and the Ban Ki-Moon Center for Global Citizens.
The High-Level event sought to identify crucial interventions in finance, policy, innovation, and knowledge to enhance climate resilience and adaptation in agri-food systems. It articulated the need to support the development of nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems that can help these systems withstand climate challenges while promoting economic growth in the region.
Climate Finance
The discussions advocated for better and blended finance, private investments, lending options, and risk insurance to bolster climate adaptation initiatives and bring about transformative improvements in the agri-food systems of the continent. To facilitate this, bold transformative actions are needed to boost investment, support countries in accessing climate finance, and ensure that appropriate financial resources reach small and medium-scale food producers.
Keynote addresses were delivered by H.E. Mr Ban Ki Moon - 8th SG to the UN/ Co Chair-Ban Kimoon Center; Hon. Girma Amente, Minister of Agriculture, Ethiopia; Dr. Lindiwe Sibanda, Board Chair, CGIAR; Hon. Eamon Ryan, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Ireland and Mr. Tamer El-Raghy, Managing Director, Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund.
Abebe advocated for nature-based solutions; Climate-Smart Agriculture, sustainable and circular bioeconomy; energy-smart agrifood systems; food waste and food loss reduction as solutions that can effectively, efficiently, and sustainably address the climate crisis. To emphasise the importance of climate financing the FAO ADG noted that - “these actions require sustained investment in agrifood systems transformation – however evidence shows otherwise. For example, in 2020 climate-related development finance to the agriculture and land use sector represented only 22% of total flows.”
Carla Mucavi reported that FAO in collaboration with the Government of Kenya was working towards resilience building of vulnerable communities. She noted that FAO has developed a Country Programming Framework which is anchored around transformed agrifood systems as a solution to the climate crisis. “We need early and accelerated actions, these are the most cost-effective measures to prevent and reduce impacts of climate change on our communities” she said.
Africa Climate Week
Africa Climate Week featured several key events in which FAO and its partners participated. These events focused on topics such as sustainable investments in nature-based solutions (e.g., peatlands and forests) for climate action, transforming agrifood systems to ensure food security and resilience, and exploring technological innovations for monitoring and managing forests and land resources.
In a media interview, Zitouni Ould-dada stressed the key strategies and initiatives that FAO is currently implementing to address the intersection of climate change, biodiversity conservation, and agriculture in Africa. He noted the need to invest more in adaptation on the continent.
Singing of the One UN agreement
Agrifood systems face the challenge of sustainably providing sufficient, accessible, affordable, safe, and nutritious foods to an increasing and urbanizing global population while meeting the commercial need for value addition and diversification of economic/livelihood opportunities. The current agrifood production system and practices, driven by uncontrolled heavy use of water, land, chemicals, energy, and illegal exploitation of natural resources, pose a threat to ecological systems and well-being of society.
The adverse effects associated with the current agrifood production systems, climate change and conflicts call for urgent actions to reduce climate risks associated with consumption and production patterns and ensure efficient use of resources in the pre-production, production, and value transformation stages of food chains. The United Nations in Kenya organized a side event UN Kenya’s Joint Programme on Sustainable Investment, Consumption and Production in the Green and Blue Economies during the Africa Climate Summit.
The ADG was pleased to note the fruitful partnership of a one UN in Kenya. “FAO’s climate change strategy and an action plan is based on a set of principles to guide our actions and our engagement in partnerships and collaborative efforts, such as this UN Joint Programme – some of these principles include taking a food systems approach, putting smallholders at the centre, building on science based-evidence, building country driven actions, delivering through strategic partnerships and adopting a ‘no-one size fits all approach”, he said.
During the event, a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Norway and the UN Joint Partnership in Kenya. The support of about 200 million Kenya shillings was made through the Norway Nansen Support programme towards the UN SDG Kenya Multi-Partner Trust Fund for food security. The funding is targeted towards supporting youth, women, people living with disabilities, people in the arid and semi-arid lands and informal settlements under the sustainable investment, consumption and production in the green and blue economies programme co-led by FAO and UNIDO.
Side Events Participation
Winnie Yegon, a Food Systems Analyst at FAO Kenya participated in a side event on reducing food loss and waste in Africa for people, nature, and climate.
The main objective of the side event was to raise the profile of the problem of food loss and waste, policy issues and available innovative solutions, with the aim of fostering increased collaboration among governments, donors, private sector actors and other key stakeholders.
Winnie Yegon shared her experience as a project manager for the “Strengthening capacities for enhanced safe and sustainable post-harvest management of food project”. She emphasized on the complementarity of the strategy and the actions being taken to address the challenges that contribute to food loss and waste and called for continued partnerships and collaboration in the implementation of the strategy.
Irene Kimani, a Nutritionist and Co-Lead of Enabling Policy and Investment Environment Sub- Programme spoke about the initiative on climate action and nutrition which is an initiative that was started by the government of Egypt to integrate climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive actions towards tackling climate change and malnutrition.
Philip Kisoyan, the Natural Resource Management Officer and GEF Focal Point shared FAO’s experience in supporting community conservation groups in forest and landscape restoration to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Also shared the national and global financing opportunities.
During the Africa Climate Summit, FAO had a strong mass media presence in newspaper articles, TV and radio interviews.
Links to the stories.
• https://www.kbc.co.ke/transforming-agrifood-systems-as-a-solution-to-climate-crisis/
• FAO’s ACREI project featured on KTN
https://youtu.be/df9xfWJJkac?si=8ZacaC2aXV0VBBD5
For more deatils contact
Joseph Othieno
Communication Specialist
FAO Kenya