糖心Vlog

"Traditional family farming is a vital pillar of food security, climate resilience and sustainable food systems." It was with this clear statement that Hervé Rogez, lecturer at the Federal University of Parà and partner in the Forests, agriculture and territorial development in Amazonia (AMAZONIE) platform, began his contribution to the side event organized by 糖心Vlog, FAO and WHH during the 62nd June Climate Meetings in Bonn. 

The agrifood sector is both a major greenhouse gas emitter and highly vulnerable to climate change. Its transformation will be crucial in reaching the targets set by the Paris Agreement while guaranteeing global food security.

The importance of farming and food security has been specified in various rounds of negotiations within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, such as the Koronivia joint work (SJWA) or the (GGA). However, funding remains a crucial bottleneck, with major shortfalls in terms of the volume and quality of climate funding attributed to agrifood systems ().

Strengthening investment mechanisms to benefit local communities

Family farming, local communities and indigenous peoples are key actors in adapting food systems; they are also guarantors of food security. However, because of inappropriate instruments, bureaucratic obstacles and informal economies, they have difficulty accessing climate funding. Addressing these issues requires innovative funding mechanisms and greater institutional coordination, notably between multilateral development banks and public agricultural development banks, to boost investment in climate-resistant agrifood systems.

"This roundtable was intended to recognize that supporting sustainable food systems is one of the main levers for climate action, and also for preserving biodiversity, soils and humans", Nathalie Cialdella explains. "As a result, funding sustainable food system transformation will require a systemic approach if we are to tackle the global challenges successfully."

The event aimed to facilitate dialogue between negotiators, civil society, intergovernmental organizations and research institutions, to:

• foster collective action and provide concrete solutions for the reforms required to improve the quality and volume of climate funding allocated to agrifood systems,
• guarantee the inclusion of sustainable agrifood systems in climate funding programmes,
• supply , that local approaches rooted in community knowledge and rights-based frameworks can produce transformative results, but run up against financial bottlenecks,
• improve access to funding for family farmers, local communities and indigenous peoples across the world.

As the agronomist says, "there are solutions and grassroots initiatives that are currently being rolled out thanks to support and public policies tailored to local contexts. One example is açai (Euterpe oleracea Mert.) in Amazonia, or other products of socio-biodiversity. These products are consumed locally and generate substantial revenue for local people, while preserving and even enriching forest ecosystems and biodiversity. One way of scaling operations to improve the allocation and efficacy of funding would be to make greater use of methodologies and approaches developed jointly by several stakeholders to draft appropriate public policies. This would be better than attempting to reproduce standard technical or financial solutions".