Time is running out as the grip of the climate crisis tightens. Water scarcity, high temperatures, desertification, hunger, and instability make some regions across Africa and the Middle East the most globally vulnerable to climate change. Yet diversely, they also lead the globe in many areas of food systems climate adaptation through their head start in innovative climate-smart solutions and technology, an abundance of fertile and hardy biodiversity, and a plethora of renewable energy sources.

But while food-system innovation can help to systemically transform agri-food systems for better resilience in regions where most people, especially the poorest, rely on agriculture, is science and technology alone enough?

About the event

This side event, hosted by the Alliance of Bioversity-CIAT and ICARDA, will reflect on the key, often overlooked elements to support the integration of new science, technologies, and approaches needed for fully comprehensive climate-resilient agri-food systems within resource-strained cultural and socio-economic environments.

The audience and speakers at the event will discuss the importance of enabling policy environments, capacity building, finance mechanisms, and farmers’ empowerment to ensure that technologies and innovations for climate-resilient food systems are adopted at scale and reach their full potential.

The session will also discuss the value of inclusive and ongoing agri-food systems research carried out in partnership with country stakeholders, the private sector, and farmers to address context-specific challenges, market demands, and needs. 

Objectives

• Raise awareness of the vital role of enabling environments and actions (policy, finance, capacities, empowerment, among others) and understand the gaps and barriers that prevent the uptake of technologies and innovations within climate-resilient agri-food systems.
• Discuss how such enabling environments and actions can amplify the impact of new science and technology to address the food systems priorities and needs of Africa and the Middle East.
• Explore how ongoing research and inclusivity in solutions for climate-adapted and resilient agri-food systems can be improved to ensure enabling environments and actions are included.
• Raise the profile of participating organizations and their expertise in this field.
• Strengthen relationships between participants and audiences.
• Set the stage for unlocking increased investments from traditional and new funders toward the meaningful transformation of food, land, and water systems, by the inclusion of enabling environments and actions in food systems research for development.

Speakers

Chair: Mr. Aly Abousabaa, Regional Director Central and West Asia and North Africa, CWANA, CGIAR

Opening: Esther Zulu, Farmer, Zambia

Panel Moderator: Roula Majdalani, Climate Change Advisor, ICARDA

Panelists:
Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Leader of ClimBeR and Director of AICCRA, CGIAR

Ayat Soliman, Regional Director – Sustainable Development, Eastern and Southern Africa Region, World Bank

Zitouni Ould-Dadda, FAO

Motsomi Maletjane, LDC Group, UNFCCC

Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Ghana

Mohammed Sadiki, Morocco

Closing remarks: Juan Lucas Restrepo, Global Director for Partnerships, CGIAR & Director General, Alliance for Bioversity International and CIAT

Organized by:

Alliance of Bioversity-CIAT

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

 

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The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP27 (Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC), will be the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, to be held from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.