Summary
Today’s themes, on nature, land use, and oceans, have close connections to food and agriculture, a fact that was evident in the programming presented at the Pavilion. As full Pavilion audiences heard about landscape regeneration, ecosystem restoration, nature-based solutions, and soil management and irrigation throughout the day, discussions turned to how to move solutions from practice and planning to scaling and action in order to achieve common goals. Audiences considered the importance of ensuring a common vision, costs and benefits of transitions, and harmonizing tools and methods to track progress.
The Pavilion also hosted numerous high-level events and meetings, bringing in expert voices from a variety of perspectives to delve into issues around gaps in scientific knowledge, the importance of diverse perspectives in identifying and solving problems, and how tools and approaches are helping deliver change.
Highlights
With the second week of COP28 well under way, co-hosts and partners convened a set of events connecting food and agriculture to the theme of the day, as well as several high-level events which drew crowds to the event space:
- FAO hosted an event that demonstrated climate-informed and water-wise integrated land use planning guidelines they have been updating. The update includes applications of digital tools such as a global agro-ecological zone. The event showcased on-the-ground solutions, such as soil management, with the potential to sequester one-third of greenhouse gas emissions from arable land, and efficient irrigation, which saves one-third of water for crops while maintaining the same level of production. Learn more.
- CGIAR held a high-level event that, through fireside chats, sought to identify some of the major gaps in scientific knowledge that are barriers to a just and equitable transition in agri-food systems, and the role global scientific assessments such as IPPC and IPBES play. It considered how scientists, particularly from low- and middle-income countries, can bring their diverse perspectives and become involved in these processes. Learn more.
- FAO hosted an event that addressed the importance of a shared vision, standards of practice, and harmonized monitoring tools for achieving the ambitious goals of the Decade on Ecosystems Restoration, especially in support of restoring ecosystem health and productivity. Learn more.
- IFAD hosted an event that showcased the necessary actions for developing and scaling up community-driven nature-based solutions to achieve food and nutrition security, climate resilience, and sustainability. Learn more.
- CGIAR held a high-level event, co-hosted with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK and the World Bank, which built on what was achieved at COP26, COP27, the UN Food Systems Summit, and the Global Food Security Summit to demonstrate some of the key approaches for achieving international collaborative action to deliver a more sustainable and resilient agri-food system, inviting a conversation about how these tools are delivering change, what more needs to be done and how COP28 can accelerate progress. Learn more.
- The Rockefeller Foundation hosted an event where Regen10 and 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People, with Commonland and EcoAgriculture Partners, shared lessons and insights about the enabling conditions for landscape regeneration, the expected financial costs and benefits of these transitions, and the need for a common long-term vision and commitment at landscape level. Learn more.
Videos and photos
Watch recordings and see photos from the Pavilion on December 9. You can also visit the COP28 Food and Agriculture Pavilion YouTube playlist to see all recordings from the Pavilion.
Beyond the Pavilion
COP28 news
- The UNFCCC COP28 presidency and the CBD COP15 presidency have signed a joint statement on climate and nature, recognizing their interconnectedness and agreeing to foster stronger synergies, integration and alignment in the planning and implementation of national climate, biodiversity and land restoration plans and strategies (COP28 website). Read more here.
- Lobbyists from industrial agriculture companies and trade groups have turned out in record numbers at COP28, with three times as many delegates representing the meat and dairy industry as last year (The Guardian). Read more here.
- The African Group of Negotiators have said that COP28 is failing on climate adaptation finance so far (The Guardian). Read more here.
- The UK has scaled up a partnership with the World Bank to support sustainable, climate-resilient farming practices, and improved access to clean water in climate-vulnerable countries (UK Government). Read more here.
