IFA presents role of food and food systems in climate through its engagement at COP28
COP28 concluded in Dubai (UAE) on December 13, following two weeks of country negotiations and hundreds of events on- and off-site.
IFA ensured the visibility of the fertilizer industry, shared its solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation, and participated in critical dialogues with key partners and stakeholders of the agri-food chain.
This year, IFA focused its work on three critical challenges:
- Balancing the food security and climate mitigation objectives of food systems,
- Financing the transition of agricultural systems to a net-zero future,
- Protecting and restoring soil health and ensuring its recognition across UN Conventions.
1. Groundbreaking roundtable on agri-food chains, nature and climate
IFA and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) organized a high-level business roundtable on December 4, in Export Trading Group (ETG) offices in Dubai.
The objective of this event was to establish better cooperation in the agri-food chain on sustainability, climate and nature goals. Representatives from Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, Bunge, Moët Hennessy, Olam and the United Phosphorus Ltd discussed with the CEOs of ETG, Nutrien and OCI what it takes to meet their broad environmental and climate targets. The CEO of the Canadian development bank, FinDev, as well as Dalberg Advisors and the former President of Embrapa Brazil, complemented the exchange with insights from Africa and Brazil.
2. Fossil fuels in the global food systems
IFA CEO/Director General Alzbeta Klein was invited by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food on 2 December to discuss their recently published report “Power shift: weaning industrial food systems off fossil fuels”. While recognizing the need to reduce emissions from the agricultural sector, Alzbeta also urged for a holistic approach to solutions to ensure that global food security objectives are still met.
Watch the session’s recording here: https://bit.ly/3uYkKQY
3. Official UNFCCC side event with IRRI
IFA and the International Rice Research Insitute (IRRI) tackled the complex challenge of financing the transition of agricultural systems during an official UNFCCC side event on 5 December.
The event was moderated by IFA CEO/Director General Alzbeta Klein, and included Dr Bjoern Ole Sander, Country Representative for Thailand and Senior Scientist for Climate Change at IRRI, Lori Kerr, CEO of FinDev Canada, Holger Treidel, Head of Section for Climate Change and Climate Policy of GiZ GmbH; Hahn Nguyen, Head of Sustainability of OCI Global, Wagner Albuquerque de Almeida, Director of Global Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services (MAS) at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Owen Hewlett, Chief Technical Officer of The Gold Standard Foundation.
The panelists stressed the importance of blended finance and the regulatory environment to reach farmers in emerging markets. These farmers are bearing the brunt of the transition. The panel also discussed the importance of affordable and low-carbon inputs, and the protection of soil health.
4. Trade-focused event on the ICC Pavilion
IFA also partnered on December 3 with CropLife International and the Global Dairy Platform to discuss the effects of trade disruptions on agricultural commodities and their impact on global food security.
Moderated by Bertrand Assamoi of Dalberg Advisors, the panel took place on the ICC Trade Partner stage and was composed of IFA CEO/Director General Alzbeta Klein, Emily Rees, CEO of CropLife International, Brian Lindsay, Director of the Dairy Sustainability Framework and Global Sector Lead for Sustainability at the Global Dairy Platform, Keith Currie, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Saswati Bora, Global Director of Regenerative Food Systems.
The session’s recording is available here: https://bit.ly/47UDmQq
5. Soil Health Day on the Food Systems Pavilion
IFA organized a full day of events dedicated to soil health on December 5, on the occasion of World Soils Day.
The five sessions, led by the members of the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), aimed to raise awareness of the importance of soils for food systems, food and nutrition security, improving livelihoods and supporting economic development; and to galvanize support for the alignment of UN Conventions around this key issues. They examined the climate mitigation potential of soils, the potential of regenerative practices for nature-positive food production, the importance of collective action to protect soil health globally, the partnerships effectively achieving these aims and how to reduce the gap between farmers’ needs and their access to innovation, tools and data.
All sessions of the day are available to re-watch here: https://bit.ly/47S3xXP
A heartfelt thanks to the members of CA4SH that have sponsored and contributed to the success of this day: BASF, Bayer CropScience, Cargill, CIFOR/ICRAF, CropLife International, Nutrien, OCI Global, OCP, Rabobank, Syngenta, Yara International.
6. Soils Leadership Dinner
The CA4SH Soils Leadership Dinner was the highlight of World Soil Day on December 5 and featured several high-ranking representatives, including H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Chairman of AGRA, Dr. Jyotsna Puri, Associate Vice-President, IFAD, Undersecretary Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA, Lloyd C. Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, Kaveh Zahedi, Director of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, FAO, Pilar Cruz, CSO of Cargill, Emily Rees, CEO of CropLife International, Alzbeta Klein, Dr. Leigh Winowiecki and the CEOs of IFA Member companies Yara International, Nutrien and OCI Global.
We thank Cargill, Nutrien, OCI and Yara, as well as BASF and Rabobank for their sponsorship and support for this successful event.
COP28 sealed IFA’s ongoing engagement and presence at UN Climate Summits and achieved a high visibility for its members and partners. For more information about IFA’s climate work, please contact Yvonne Harz-Pitre or Margot Clifford.