The Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF) has released a toolkit to help governments integrate food systems transformation into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – the national climate actions called for by the Paris Agreement. GAFF states that taking a food systems approach will build climate resilience and result in a diversity of solutions for food production, distribution, consumption, and waste reduction.
GAFF notes that though the transformation of food systems could be integral to the process of mitigating climate change, it often goes unaddressed. As the Secretary General stated in the Statement of Action for the United Nations Food Systems Summit, “Recent reports have found that food systems are contributing up to one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, up to 80% of biodiversity loss, and use up to 70% of freshwater.”
In the toolkit – Untapped Opportunities for Climate Action: An Assessment of Food Systems in Nationally Determined Contributions, GAFF assessed how 14 countries have incorporated food systems into their NDCs. The report includes assessments, country case studies, and a summary report that are designed as a toolkit for governments to use to transform food systems in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as achieve health, environmental, and social benefits.
The assessment framework used The Global Alliance’s 7 Calls to Action and guiding principles to evaluate a country’s performance in NDCs. Criteria include: ensuring inclusive and participatory governance, enabling agroecology and regenerative approaches, and supporting food systems that are resilient, inclusive, and interconnected.
The report recommends the following priority actions:
- Ensure engagement of all key stakeholders and ministries during NDC implementation and monitoring;
- Address governance challenges to ensure effective implementation and monitoring; and,
- Quantify the implementation costs for food systems measures and channel public and private finance accordingly.
Translated versions of the report are available in Deutsche, Español, Français and 中文.