Tag Archive for: COP22

Join Regeneration International in Marrakech for COP22

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The COP22 Climate Summit will take place in Marrakech, Morocco, on November 7-18, 2016. The Regeneration International Network has organized a series of events that will focus on the role of soil, agriculture and land-use practices in reversing global warming.

Why regenerative farming and land use?

After spending decades focused solely on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate activists and the UNFCCC now recognize the need to also include large-scale carbon sequestration in the strategy to reverse global warming.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “a large fraction of anthropogenic climate change resulting from CO2 emissions is irreversible on a multi-century-to-millennial time scale, except in the case of a large net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere over a sustained period.” Simply put, even if we cut all human-induced GHG emissions today, the globe would continue to warm for decades, even centuries to come. Recently the scientific community identified soil carbon restoration using regenerative agriculture and land use practices as one of the safest and most effective means of removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Fortunately, millions of farmers around the globe are ready to implement regenerative agriculture and land use practices. We must act now to unleash the power of regenerative farmers to cool the planet and feed the world through soil carbon restoration.

“If rapid phase down of fossil fuel emissions begins soon, most of the necessary CO2 extraction can take place via improved agricultural land forestry practices, including reforestation and steps to improve soil fertility and increase its carbon content,” – James Hansen

Soils are also the largest terrestrial carbon sink on the planet. But soils around the globe have lost 50 to 75 percent of their original carbon content, largely due to the destructive practices of humans. With support from international bodies and conscious consumers, farmers around the globe can put an end to the release of agricultural GHG emissions, and turn their farms into carbon sinks capable of removing enough CO2 from the atmosphere to reverse global warming and repair the damage inflicted in ecosystems and the environment by degenerative food systems.

Regeneration International at COP22

Here are the side events RI has organized for COP22.

Women for Climate Justice Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change
Date: November 16, 2016 16:45 – 18:15
Location: Bering Room, COP22 Blue Zone

Can Consumers Drive the Transition to Climate-friendly Regenerative Beef, Poultry & Dairy Production?
Date: November 17, 2016 15h00  – 16h30
Location: Salle 7, Green Zone at COP22

Re-framing Food and Agriculture: From Degeneration to Regeneration
Date: November 18 13h00 – 14h30
Location: Salle 2, Green Zone at COP22

Follow our COP22 page for events as well as news related to agriculture and the 4 per 1000 Initiative.

– The RI Team

Women for Climate Justice Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change

Date: November 16, 2016 16:45 – 18:15
Location: Bering Room, COP22 Blue Zone, Side Event area
Remote participation: If you cannot make it to the event, it will be broadcast by the UNFCCC Climate Change Studio Youtube Channel, be sure to tune in!

We will hear from grassroots and Indigenous women leaders addressing climate solutions from a climate justice framework including forest and biodiversity protection, just transition to 100 percent renewable energy, agro-ecology implementation and rights of nature.

Speakers:

  • Thilmeeza Hussain – Voice of Women Maldives, Climate Wise Women
  • Neema Namadamu – SAFECO; Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Amina El Hajjamc – Tamazight Representative of the High Atlas Foundation
  • Blanca Chancosa – Abya Yala Women Messengers, Otavalo, Ecuador
  • Cecilia Flores – Abya Yala Women Messengers, Aymara, Chile
  • Osprey Orielle Lake – Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network
  • Precious Phiri – Earthwisdom; Regeneration International, Zimbabwe

Accreditation to enter COP 22 venue is required to attend.
No registration is necessary but seating is limited.

Can Consumers Drive the Transition to Climate-friendly Regenerative Beef, Poultry & Dairy Production?

Date: November 17, 2016 15h00  – 16h30
Location: Salle 7, Green Zone at COP22

As the global population grows, consumers will need to reduce their consumption of livestock and dairy products if we are to avoid runaway climate change. But we also must move towards regenerative models for producing adequate amounts of meat, eggs and dairy products that provide optimum nutrition, while also producing fewer emissions and less pollutions, while rebuilding healthy soils capable of drawing down excess carbon.

Agenda:

15.00 – 15.15: Are some animals more equal than others? An overview of the global impacts of animal agriculture, Richard Young, Sustainable Food Trust

15.00 – 16.30 : Panel discussion for identifying potential global consumer campaigns aimed at (1) educating consumers about the impact of factory farm products and regenerative alternatives; (2) promoting and increasing demand for regenerative meat, egg and dairy products; (3) facilitating an increase in global supply of regenerative meat, egg and dairy products. Followed by Q&A.

  • Alexis Baden-Mayer, Organic Consumers Association, USA
  • Andre Leu, IFOAM Organics International, Australia
  • Mercedes Lopez Martinez, Vía Orgánica and Asociación de Consumidores Orgánicos, México
  • Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Main Street Project, Guatemala/USA

Moderator: Katherine Paul, Regeneration International, USA

This event is free and open to the public.
Please RSVP on Facebook.

Re-framing Food and Agriculture: From Degeneration to Regeneration

Date: November 18 13h00 – 14h30
Location: Salle 2, Green Zone at COP22

Could the solution to the climate crisis as well as poverty and deteriorating public health be right under our feet, and at the end of our knives and forks?

Come join a dynamic and engaging conversation with leading voices in sustainable agriculture and food initiatives from around the globe. Together, we’ll explore how regenerative food, farming and land use can cool the planet and feed the world. This is the beginning of a movement. We encourage you to show up as collaborators ready to learn and share ideas, and leave as a part of the regenerative solution.

You’ll get to hear from and speak with:

  • Andre Leu, IFOAM Organics International, Australia
  • Murielle Trouillet, 4p1000 Initiative, French Ministry of Agriculture, France
  • Abdellah Boudhira, Regenerative Farmer, Morocco
  • Barbara Hachipuka Banda, Natural Agriculture Development Program, Zambia
  • Konrad Meyer, Biovision Foundation, Switzerland
  • John D Liu, Environmental Education Media Project, USA/China

Moderator: Ercilia Sahores, Regeneration International, Argentina

This event is free and open to the public.
Please RSVP on Facebook.

Agriculture Has Big Role to Play in Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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17 October 2016, Rome – The pledge to eradicate hunger and poverty must go hand in hand with rapid transformations of farming and food systems to cope with a warmer world, FAO said today in a new report.

Agriculture, including forestry, fisheries and livestock production, generate around a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture must both contribute more to combating climate change while bracing to overcome its impacts, according to The State of Food and Agriculture 2016.

“There is no doubt climate change affects food security,” FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said while presenting the report. “What climate change does is to bring back uncertainties from the time we were all hunter gatherers. We cannot assure any more that we will have the harvest we have planted.”

That uncertainty also translates into volatile food prices, he noted. “Everybody is paying for that, not only those suffering from droughts,” Graziano da Silva said.

FAO warns that a “business as usual” approach could put millions more people at risk of hunger compared to a future without climate change. Most affected would be populations in poor areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia, especially those who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Future food security in many countries will worsen if no action is taken today.

Overhauling farming and food systems will be complex due to the vast number of stakeholders involved, the multiplicity of farming and food processing systems, and differences in ecosystems. Yet, efforts must begin in earnest now as the adverse impacts of climate change will only worsen with time, the report emphasizes.

“The benefits of adaptation outweigh the costs of inaction by very wide margins,” emphasized Graziano da Silva.

Time for commitments to be put into action

“2016 should be about putting commitments into action,” urged Graziano da Silva, noting the international community last year agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement, about to come into force. Agriculture will be high on the agenda at the 22nd Conference of the Parties in Morocco starting  November 7.

KEEP READING ON FAO

10 Options for Agriculture at Marrakech Climate Talks

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Authors: Dhanush Dinesh and Vanessa Meadu | Published on: September 2, 2016

New guidance to help countries make crucial decision on future of agriculture under climate change

There is no question that action is needed to address climate impacts on agriculture while reducing greenhouse gases produced by food and farming. In fact the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement explicitly referred to food security, and a large majority of countries at the Paris climate conference showed their willingness to take action on agriculture. A major opportunity lies ahead, as a 5-year discussion on agriculture under the UN Climate Talks culminates at the November meetings in Marrakech. New guidance is now available to help countries decide how to shape the future of food and farming under a global climate agreement.

Since 2011, a United Nations technical body (known as SBSTA) has been deliberating issues related to agriculture, with many parties and observers making submissions, and debates continuing over several workshops on the topic.

To provide countries with the necessary knowledge base to make a decision in Marrakech, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and partners have compiled a new report setting out 10 options that build on the latest submissions and deliberations by countries. Each option is elaborated with an overview, ways forward and pros and cons.

KEEP READING ON CGIAR

West Africa: Innovative Practices for Restoring Soil Fertility and Capturing Carbon

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During a trip to West Africa by the French Minister of Agriculture, Stéphane Le Foll, CIRAD presented farming practices developed with its partners in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Senegal. The practices are intended to boost soil fertility and carbon capture capacity, while contributing to the food security of local people. Some make use of traditional local know-how…

In Burkina Faso, farmers dig pits on degraded land, adding manure in order to restore fertility. This traditional practice, known as ‘zaï’, facilitates water infiltration and supplies organic matter, which in turn brings local flora species. This fosters biological life within the soil, which recovers its fertility. Scientists have studied and improved this practice, while attempting to reduce the amount of work it requires on the part of farmers.

[…]

Stéphane Le Foll, the Minister of Agriculture, Agrifood and Forestry and French government spokesperson, was in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Senegal from 27 to 30 July to promote ‘4 per 1000, carbon sequestration in soils for food security and the climate’. This initiative set out to identify and disseminate farming practices that will boost the capacity of agricultural soils to capture carbon, hence improving their fertility while also mitigating climate change. Stéphane Le Foll was accompanied by a French delegation including CIRAD President Managing Director Michel Eddi. The Minister met the Heads of State of all three countries – Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Alassane Ouattara and Macky Sall -, his counterparts and several agricultural professionals, and the various Franco-African research teams involved in the ‘4 per 1000’ initiative. The visit was part of the preparations for COP22, to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 7 to 18 November 2016, and implementation of the ‘4 per 1000’ initiative, launched by the French Minister at COP21 in Paris last year.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON PUBLIC NOW

U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Underlines Importance to Include Agriculture in COP22

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Rabat – U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Jonathan Pershing underlined, Thursday in Rabat, the importance of taking agriculture into account during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22)’s debates.

“It is necessary to work on how agriculture will be dealt with during the COP22”, Pershing told the press after a meeting with Moroccan Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Aziz Akhannouch, noting that the agriculture and forest sector contribute to greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30%.

The meeting was an occasion to discuss and recommend concrete measures and solutions, notably carbon capture and storage and good agricultural practices meant to preserve the soil, he added.

KEEP READING ON MOROCCO WORLD NEWS

India Set a Record by Planting 50 Million Trees in One Day

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Author: Katie Herzog

Trees are a valuable tool in the fight against climate change. It’s the ultimate in carbon-capture technology — but all natural, and without the licensing fees.

On July 11th, volunteers in India took this old-school climate-fighting tool to a whole new level by planting a record number of trees in a single day, beating Pakistan’s previous record of planting 847,275 trees in 2013.

It took 800,000 volunteers to plant just under 50 million tree saplings along India’s roads, rail lines, and on public lands. This is all a part of India’s commitment to reforest 12 percent of its land — a commitment made at the Paris climate talks last year. The goal will increase the total amount of India’s forested areas to 29 percent of the country’s landmass, or 235 million acres.

KEEP READING ON GRIST

An African COP

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Last week I attended, on behalf of Regeneration International,  a meeting to map out the next steps for France’s 4 per 1000 climate initiative.  The meeting, called “What Governance and Roadmap for the 4 per 1000?” took place during the Salon International de l’Agriculture du Maroc (SIAM), in Meknes, Morocco.

A host of ministerial delegates attended, from Morocco, India, Brazil, Palestine, Senegal and many more African countries, as did representatives of the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and financial bodies like the Green Fund, African Development Bank and the Islamic development bank.

The meeting confirmed that the French and other governments are unwavering in their support of the 4 per 1000 initiative, launched at the 2015 COP21 Paris Climate Summit, and incorporated into the final agreement. It also set the tone for the COP22, to be held in Marrakech in November, 2016.

The meeting also confirmed that Morocco and Africa are ready to host the COP22, which was recently dubbed as a COP of Action and a COP of Africa by the charismatic leader Stéphane Le Foll, French Minister of Agriculture.

Africa has an integral role to play in the 4 per 1000 initiative. Partly because so little funding has been channeled to agriculture in Africa, and partly because 60 percent of the world’s arable land is in Africa. The upcoming COP will ensure that actions to tackle climate change and improve food security are brought to the table and implemented in Africa.

With this in mind, the President of the COP22, and Minister of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Morocco, Hon. Aziz Akhannouch, led the conversation around a new approach—the Triple A (AAA) or Adaptation de I’ agriculture Africaine (Adaptation of African Agriculture). This conversation became the most prominent in the convention as it will be the focus of the COP22.

Triple A will secure funding to support African agricultural initiatives that are meant to back up the 4 per1000 initiative globally. Minister Aziz explained that 70 percent of Africa’s population is rural and depends on agriculture as a source of livelihoods. At the same time, Africa’s greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint is less than that of most western countries, yet Africa stands to be the most affected by climate change.

Today’s food insecurity problem in Africa will need to be addressed by closing the productivity gap. Agricultural yield is dropping and it is projected that by 2050, the African population will increase by 15-20 percent—making it absolutely critical that we address Africa’s food security crisis.

In his last moving words, Minister Le Foll said “you cannot separate carbon storage from food security” and well-directed agricultural practices will achieve these two ambitions.

The role of agriculture in reversing climate change cannot be underplayed, yet this most hopeful of all climate solutions remains under-acknowledged and under-funded. The 4 per1000 and Triple A initiatives are both crucial for the movement. They are meant to encourage solutions that work for Africa. They will be implemented in both English and French speaking African countries

$100 billion is channeled every year to fund developing world productivity needs. Africa receives less than 50 percent of international funding overall. For climate change initiatives, Africa gets less than 5 percent of available funding. This year the Triple A seeks to lobby for $30 billion to be used as a pool fund for Agriculture.

The next action phase for helping Africa combat climate change and food insecurity will include strategies to tackle critical issues like water. The need for new alliances with skilled countries like Brazil, China and India will be sought to help African countries with technological support in areas like irrigation practices to enhance productivity.

The world is currently looking at Morocco to lead and guide the COP22 process. The ministers at the convention pledged their support to back up stages of Triple A and 4 per 1000 collaboration. As Le Foll rightly pointed out: “Triple A’s integration with 4 per 1000 is important to fight climate change.”

It will take Africans to do what works in Africa and to bring their much needed contribution to both agriculture and reversal of climate change globally.

And so, we look forward, with hope, to Marrakech and the COP22.

Precious Phiri is founding director of EarthWisdom Consulting Co. and a member of the Regeneration International steering committee.