What  does  the  science  say?      Mobilising  sustainable  agriculture  to  meet    food  security  challenges  

Sir  John  Beddington,  Chair  Commission  on  Sustainable  Agriculture  and  Climate  Change  

Agriculture  &  Rural  Development  Day  2011  –  Durban,  South  Africa  

Key  challenges  

Africa  Asia  

Source:  UNPD,  2011  Nature,  October  2011,  478,  300-­‐301  

Key  challenges  

Currently  884  million  people  lack  access  to  clean  water    

Water  Availability  

Water  availability  

Weather:  7.5  billion  USD  lost  to  extreme  weather  in  2010  

Land  degradaGon:  1.5  billion  depend  on  degrading  land    

Hunger  

Poverty:  1.4  billion  live  on  <USD1.25  /  day    

Waste:  1.3  billion  tonnes  of  food  wasted  each  year  

Commission  on  Sustainable  Agriculture  and  Climate  Change  

§  Recent  assessments  make  a  compelling  case  for  acCon  now    

§  13  scienCsts  from  around  the  world  §  Aim:  idenCfy  and  promote  policy  

acCons  to  achieve  sustainable  agriculture,  food  security  and  poverty  reducCon  while  delivering  climate  change  adaptaCon  and  miCgaCon    

§  Evidence-­‐based  policy  recommendaCons    

Seven  recommendaGons  Concrete,  urgent  acCons  by  governments,  insCtuCons,  investors,  agricultural  producers,  consumers,  food  companies,  researchers  

3  

Photo:  P.  Casier  (CC

AFS)  

Recommenda<on  1:      Integrate  food  security  and  sustainable  agriculture  into  global  and  naGonal  policies      

•  Establish  a  work  programme  on  miCgaCon  and  adaptaCon  

•  Finance  ‘early  acCon’  to  drive  change  in  agricultural  producCon  systems  (to  increase  resilience  and  miCgate  climate  change  

•  Develop  common  plaOorms  at  global,  regional  and  naConal  levels  for  coherent  dialogue  and  policy  acCon  

Photo:  N.  Palmer  (C

IAT)  

Example:    Brazil  •  Major  global  food  producer  with  70%  of  emissions  from  deforestaCon,  land  use  change  

•  Integrated  approach  to  land  use  policy  Ø Poverty  reduced  from  20%  in  2004  to  7%  in  2010  

•  Target:  Reduce  Amazon  deforestaCon  by  80%  by  2015  

Ø Ecological  and  economic  zoning  plans  plus  satellite  monitoring  to  fight  illegal  logging  and  balance  compeCng  land  uses  

•  2008  NaConal  Climate  Change  Plan  

•  Forest  Code:  forest  cover  in  rural  areas    

Recommenda<on  2:    Significantly  raise  the  level  of  global  investment  in  sustainable  agriculture  and  food  systems  in  the  next  decade  

Photo:  N.  Palmer  (C

IAT)  

•  Implement  and  strengthen  G8  L’Aquila  commitments  to  sustainable  agriculture  and  food  security  

•  Enable  finance  mechanisms  to  prioriCse  sustainable  agriculture  programmes.  Eg  UNFCC  Fast  Start  funding  

•  Increase  knowledge  of  best  pracCces  and  access  to  innovaCon  • eg,  supporCng  revitalised  extension  services  

Photo:  Gates  Fou

ndaC

on  

Example:    Kenya  •  1/3  undernourished;  4/5  depend  on  agriculture  for  livelihoods  

•  Poverty  among  smallholder  dairy  producers  

•  More  efficient  producCon  and  improved  access  to  markets  can  boost  smallholder  livelihoods  and  meet  increasing  food  demand  

•  East  Africa  Dairy  Development  Project:  improve  access  to  markets  and  reduce  post-­‐harvest  losses  

•  Store  and  chill  milk  at  collecCon  hubs  •  Training  and  business  associaCons  •  Breeding  technologies  and  nutriCon  pracCces  

Recommenda<on  3:  Sustainably  intensify  agricultural  producGon  while  reducing  greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  other  negaGve  environmental  impacts  of  agriculture  

 

Photo:  E.Phipp

s  (CIMMYT)  

•  Develop  and  facilitate  mulC-­‐benefit  farming  systems.  

•  Introduce  strategies  for  minimising  ecosystem  degradaCon.  

•  Empower  marginalised  food  producers  to  increase  producCvity.    

•  Couple  economic  incenCves  for  sustainable  intensificaCon  with  strengthening  governance  of  land  tenure,  for  example.  

Example:    China  •  Agricultural  GDP  growing  ~6%  and  R&D  spending  increasing  ~10%  annually    

•  7  people  out  of  poverty  for  each  US$1500  invested  •  Chemical  ferClizers  (383.6  kg/ha)  add  to  GHG  emissions  

•  NaConal  Plan  for  the  ConstrucCon  of  ProtecCon  of  CulCvaCon  Projects  

•  To  cover  2.7  million/ha  2009-­‐2015  •  1.7  billion  cubic  meters  of  irrigaCon  water  saved  •  1.6  million  severely  degraded  hectares  of  land  reseeded  •  Strategies  to  promote  low-­‐emission,  high-­‐yield  rice  breeds  

Recommenda<on  4:  Target  populaGons  and  sectors  that  are  most  vulnerable  to  climate  change  and  food  insecurity    

Photo:  UNDP

 

•  Develop  funds  that  respond  to  climate  shocks,  such  as  ‘index-­‐linked  funds’  that  provide  rapid  relief  from  extreme  weather  events  

•  Share  country  informaCon  on  producCon  forecasts  and  stocks  •  Create  safety  nets  to  help  vulnerable  populaCons  become  food  secure  

•  Harmonise  and  coordinate  global  donor  programmes  

Photo:  Trees  fo

r  the

 Future  

Example:    Ethiopia  

•  Produc>ve  Safety  Net  Program:  Cash  transfers  for  work  by  chronically  food  insecure  populaCons    

•  Combined  internaConal  donor  funding  of  over  USD  1.27  billion  (over  six  years)  

•  ~1.3  million  made  food  secure  •  Growth  in  livestock  holdings  •  9  million  ha  rehabilitated  •  Bemer  access  to  clean  water    •  Increase  in  school  amendance    

Recommenda<on  5:  Reshape  food  access  and  consumpGon  paWerns  to  ensure  basic  nutriGonal  needs  are  met  and  to  foster  healthy  and  sustainable  eaGng  habits  worldwide  

Photo:  L  Che

ung  (USD

A)  

•  Harmonise  development  policy  and  coordinate  regional  programmes  

•  Promote  posiCve  diets  through  innovaCve  educaCon  campaigns  and  economic  incenCves  

•  Evidence-­‐based  sustainability  metrics  and  standards  to  monitor  and  evaluate  food  security,  nutriCon  and  health  and  provide  consumers  clear  labelling  

Example:    France  •  4/10  adults  overweight  or  obese  •  In  2004,  legislaCon  introduced  requiring  adverCsements  for  processed  food  and  drink  to  include  health  informaCon  

•  Levies  on  companies  that  opt  out  used  for  health  prevenCon  and  educaCon  (1.5  %  of  adverCsing  budget)  

•  In  2007,  legislaCon  was  amended  to  require  health  messages  to  emphasise  eaCng  fruits  and  vegetables  

Recommenda<on  6:  Reduce  loss  and  waste  in  food  systems,  parGcularly  from  infrastructure,  farming  pracGces,  processing,  distribuGon  and  household  habits  

Photo:  K  Rob

inson  (Panos)  

•  Sustainable  agriculture  development  programmes  with  components  on  reducing  waste  

•  Economic  innovaCon  to  enable  low-­‐income  producers  to  store  food  

•  Promote  dialogue  and  convene  working  partnerships  across  food  supply  chains  

Example:    United  Kingdom  •  On  farm  losses:  Worldwide  need  for  bemer  control  of  pests  and  diseases  

Ø eg,  “Push-­‐pull”  companion  planCng  strategies  developed  by  scienCsts  at  Rothamsted  Research  in  collaboraCon  with  ICIPE  and  KARI,  Kenya  to  control  stem  borer  moths  in  maize  and  sorghum  crops  in  Eastern  Africa  

•  Post  farm  losses:  18%  of  GHG  emissions  linked  to  food  supply  chains;  ~22%  of  household  food  and  drink  is  wasted  

Ø WRAP  worked  with  grocery  sector  on  large-­‐scale  consumer-­‐facing  campaigns  (eg,  Love  Food  Hate  Waste)  

Ø 670  000  tonnes  of  food  waste  diverted  from  landfills,  saving  £600  million/year  

Recommenda<on  7:  Create  comprehensive,  shared,  integrated  informaGon  systems  that  encompass  human  and  ecological  dimensions   Ph

oto:  N.  Palmer  (C

IAT)  

•  Sustain  and  increase  investment  in  regular  monitoring  

•  Support  improved  transparency  and  access  to  informaCon  in  global  food  markets  

•  Enable  policy-­‐makers  to  navigate  trade-­‐offs  among  agricultural  intensificaCon,  nutriConal  security  and  environmental  consequences  

Photo:  M

 Castle

y,  Priv

ate  Forests  T

asmania  Example:    Australia  

•  Australian  agriculture,  including  land  clearing,  accounts  for  25  %  of  its  GHG  emissions  

•  Climate  change  and  water  over-­‐allocaCon  threatens  agricultural  producCon  

•  Bureau  of  Meteorology  and  CSIRO  help  farmers  prepare:  

•  Seasonal  Climate  Outlooks  with  detailed  forecasts    •  Risk  assessments  and  longer-­‐term  climate  projecCons    

•  Australia’s  Farming  Futures  programme  provides  informaCon,  training  and  support  to  help  farmers  adapt  to  climate  change  

A  safe  operaGng  space  for  the  food  system  

glob

al  fo

od  produ

cCon

 (kcal  x10

15/y)  

global  mean  warming  (°C)  

Safe    Space  

present  posiCon  

projected  future  posiCon  on  current  trends  

The  maximum  food  producCon  under  different  levels  of  climate  change  

The  climate  change  that  is  likely  in  relaCon  to  various  levels  of  food  producCon  

Food  needed  to  feed  the  world  populaCon,  including  waste  and  inequity  of  access  

Relevance  of  Commission  findings  to  global  processes    §  UNFCCC  [RecommendaCon  1]  

Ø Work  programme  on  agricultural  miCgaCon  and  adaptaCon  Ø Finance  ‘early  acCon’  towards  resilience  and  miCgaCon  in  agricultural  producCon  systems    

Ø PrioriCze  sustainable  agriculture  for  UNFCCC  Fast  Start  funding  as  well  as  major  development  banks  and  other  global  finance  mechanisms    

§  Rio+20  Earth  Summit  §  G20