AICCRA's Stephanie Jaquet will share results from AICCRA research on how climate-smart agriculture and climate information services can support peace and security. 

CONTEXT

Transforming food systems with greater resilience can provide affordable healthy diets that are sustainable and inclusive for all. Yet, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition Report (2021), conflict, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns (exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic) represent major obstacles undermining efforts deployed by countries to address food insecurity and malnutrition. Although these obstacles are among major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition, there is mounting evidence that the increase in climate variability and extremes is an important factor.

Food systems in Africa have been adversely affected by the compounded impacts of climate-induced shocks, conflicts, COVID-19, and most recently sharp cost increase. Concerted efforts to reshape Africa's food system to be more resilient, productive and inclusive are vital to withstand climate-related threats and achieve SDG and Agenda 2063 commitments.

Moreover, to increase community resilience and reduce their vulnerabilities, there is a need to ascertain that, among other climate adaptation efforts deployed, communities have access to information on appropriate adaptive practices. Africa is full of proven and innovative experiences and know-how in the fight against hunger and malnutrition that are not necessarily known and systematically exploited and valued.

Faced with this observation, the Regional Centre of Excellence against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM) has positioned itself, since 2019, as a catalyst to facilitate the identification, access and sharing of endogenous, established or promising good practices with a strong potential for real impact on hunger and malnutrition at the regional scale.

The impact of climate variability and extremes on agriculture and food security: An analysis of evidence and case studies. Background paper for The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018.

Based on this background, CERFAM will host a side-event under the theme ‘Exchange of good practices on climate-smart solutions to improve food and nutrition security in Africa’, within the sidelines of the official sessions of the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) on Monday, 16 May 2022 in the Africa Pavillon at Sofitel Hotel Ivoire.

CERFAM believes that South-South cooperation is vital to ensuring mutual support and exchanges of good practices, enhancing climate adaptation and increasing the resilience of developing countries and communities facing the devastating impacts of climate change.

Therefore, the side-event will enable the wide array of COP 15 participants to buy-in to south-south knowledge exchange and experience sharing as critical determinants and powerful vehicles in raising awareness on existing good practices and lessons learned on climate change adaptation in Africa. CERFAM also aims to leverage the opportunity offered by the COP 15 to engage in a strategic discussions with a community of experts involved in addressing climate related challenges in view of sustaining the support to African countries to advance their fight against hunger and malnutrition. 

OBJECTIVES

CERFAM aims to engage a debate among experts and stakeholders in the development policy on the vital role that the enhanced south-south cooperation can play in the area of climate change adaptation in Africa, mainly how knowledge sharing on climate-smart and climate resilient adaptation measures and opportunities can boost Africa’s food systems, economic growth, and development agenda.

The side-event will offer an opportunity for CERFAM and its partners to share their knowledge, good practices, and innovative climate smart and climate resilient solutions adapted to the African continent. More specifically, the side-event aims to:

• Showcase the importance of food systems in managing climate crisis for peace and security.
• Share good practices on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Africa.
• Discuss the need for investing in technical knowledge of vulnerable populations to make them more resilient to climate shocks.
• Present CERFAM’s Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEPT) – a digital platform for documenting good practices, lessons learned, and innovative solutions to fighting hunger and malnutrition in Africa.

SPEAKERS

• Dr. Stéphanie Jaquet, Research Team Leader, Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
• Mr. Kwaku Adessou, General Secretary, INADES
• Ms. Patricia Zoundi, President, MPME Côte d'Ivoire • Dr. Christiani Buani, Head of Operations Unit, CERFAM