Food system actors must implement systemic mitigation and adaptation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance resilience across crop, livestock, agroforestry and aquaculture systems.
This is part of the recommendations of CGIAR, contained in its first-ever flagship report, “Insight to Impact: A Decision-Maker’s Guide to Navigating Food System Science.” The report marks a major step in translating decades of scientific research into tangible, practical tools for policymakers navigating increasingly fragile food systems due to climate change, conflict and biodiversity loss.
The report noted that these approaches can transform food production and build resilience in the communities most vulnerable to climate change, particularly, in low- and middle-income countries, adding that they cannot be decided in isolation.
“While climate policy and action plans are decided at global, regional, and national levels, implementation is always carried out by local communities who need capacity-building, investments in infrastructure, and access to finance that is fit for purpose to manage transition risks and costs to do this effectively,” the report read.
Quoting the Director, Agora Agriculture, Christine Chemnitz, the report said: “We know quite well how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change in the agricultural sector, but the key question is: What do policymakers need to support this development? At the heart of this is the need to make sustainability a viable business model for the farming sector. Farmers need more than a mandate to change—they need clear opportunities, incentives and practical pathways.”
The report recommended to decision makers to develop strategies and implementation plans that align with and are embedded within local, national, regional, and global frameworks, while recognising that their execution will be carried out by rural communities.
It also suggested support for farmers in implementing adaptation and mitigation solutions by amplifying their voices in decision-making and developing policies to account for local environmental, economic, and social factors.
“Increase food system stakeholder access to public and private finance to support climate transition approaches to reduce the risks and costs involved; enhance farmer preparedness for the effects of climate change by investing in breeding improved varieties of animal and crop options suited for specific contexts and that meet farmers’ needs.
“Customise early warning systems on specific hazards to ensure they are adapted to local contexts. Use evidence-based models and predictions to plan effectively for different scenarios. Do not take a single-technology approach but instead consider bundling technologies together to deliver across food systems rather than just targeting one problem.”
The report also identified climate change, conflict and biodiversity loss, as major challenges threatening the increasingly fragile food systems across the globe.
Globally, the report revealed that an estimated 3.6 billion people particularly across Africa, Asia, Central and South America and small island states, live in regions that are acutely vulnerable to climate impacts, including extreme weather events, degraded lands, and limited adaptive structure.
It added that high water demands in food production are unsustainable, currently amounting to 70 per cent of global water withdrawals. It noted that between 2007 and 2017, droughts affected more than 1.5 billion people globally, disrupting crop yields, livestock production, and fisheries.
“Agriculture, forestry, and land use account for approximately 22 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, climate change is steadily diminishing the productivity of food systems worldwide. Projections indicate substantial crop yield losses under worsening climate scenarios; for example, in a world that is 2°C warmer – an additional 189 million people will face hunger by 2050.
“Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns exacerbate the spread and severity of diseases that affect food and forage crops, livestock and fish, and crop pests that proliferate across wider geographical ranges in the warmer, more humid conditions.”
CGIAR recommended that to make food systems able to respond to climate change risks and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), decision-makers need to develop strategies and implementation plans that are embedded at all levels – local, national, regional, and global, while ensuring rural communities can effectively implement them.
