Download Climate Change News 33 October 12

Climate change in the news
Issue 33 – 31st October, 2012
Recent Agriculture & Forestry Articles/ Publications
1. From climate-smart agriculture to climate-smart landscapes |Agriculture & Food
Security
2. Cutting livestock greenhouse gases requires effort from rich and poor countries
3. Biodiversity and Adaptation to Climate Change
4. On World Food Day, UN focuses on agricultural cooperatives to end global hunger
5. CCAFS Reports Highlight Vulnerability of Agricultural and Aquatic Systems to
Climate Change
6. IFAD Launches Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme
7. Brussels Development Briefing: Climate Change, agriculture and food security
8. New publication: "Incorporating climate change considerations into agricultural
investment programmes - A guidance document"
9. Livestock and renewable energy
10. Supporting small forest enterprises – A facilitator’s toolkit. Pocket guidance not
rocket science!
11. Investing in locally controlled forestry: natural protection for people and planet
12. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Climate Change
REDD+
1. UN-REDD Programme October Newsletter
2. Pacific Agricultural and Forestry Ministers Endorse Regional REDD+ Framework
3. His REDD+, her REDD+: how integrating gender can improve readiness
General
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
ACP develops common climate change policy
PNG Climate change policy
SPREP, UNEP to Cooperate on Climate Change
The Center for Sustainable Development
How Climate Services Can Help Countries Adapt to Climate Variability and Change
Action on climate change crucial to water and food security, Ban stresses at UN
event
7. SPC Supports Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in Solomon Islands
8. UNGA High-level Debate Recognizes Climate Change Effects on Vulnerable States
9. IOM, ADB Launch Asia-Pacific Migration and Environment Network
Opportunities and Events
1. Online Climate Knowledge Platforms
2. International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition
From climate-smart agriculture to climate-smart landscapes
|Agriculture & Food Security
Posted: 15 Oct 2012 02:25 AM PDT
For agricultural systems to achieve climate-smart objectives, including improved food security and
rural livelihoods as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation, they often need to be take a
landscape approach; they must become...
See it on Scoop.it, via Climate Change, Agriculture & Food Security
Cutting livestock greenhouse gases requires effort from rich
and poor countries
Posted: 17 Oct 2012 11:57 AM PDT
Regulating livestock greenhouse gas emissions could shift livestock production to unregulated, less
developed countries unless those poorer nations can be enticed to preserve their forested lands,
according to a Purdue University economic study. Photo: N Palmer (CIAT)
See it on Scoop.it, via Climate Change, Agriculture & Food Security
Biodiversity and Adaptation to Climate Change
Download (PDF; 5 MB)
WOTR’s Position Paper on Biodiversity and Adaptation to Climate Change was
released on October 16, 2012 at the COP-11 in Hyderabad.
There are various drivers of degradation that are adversely impacting ecosystems
and in turn affecting ecosystem services. Ironically, the growth economy and
unsustainable policies are leading to erosion of the very base - biodiversity and
ecosystems. Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA) is an emerging approach that
works with nature to help vulnerable communities build the resilience of their
ecosystems and livelihoods that are being threatened by climate change impacts.
This approach expects to generate significant multiple benefits - social, economic and cultural.
This position paper explains WOTR's proactive ecosystem based adaptation strategy crystallized from
the ecosystem management and conservation work carried out in different states.
On World Food Day, UN focuses on agricultural cooperatives to
end global hunger
17 OCTOBER 2012 NEW YORK (UN NEWS CENTRE) ----Amid economic crises, climatic shocks, and
high and volatile food prices in a world of plenty where nearly 870 million people still go hungry, the
United Nations today marked World Food Day by highlighting agricultural cooperatives as vital
weapon in the war on poverty and hunger.
“Owned by their members, they can generate employment, alleviate poverty, and empower poor and
marginalized groups in rural areas, especially women, to drive their own destinies,” Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon said in a message, stressing that the number of people still going hungry is
unacceptable in a world where every person would have enough to eat if food were distributed
properly.
“As enterprises with a social conscience, cooperatives have also proven to be an effective vehicle for
social inclusion, promoting gender equality and encouraging the involvement of youth in agriculture.”
The theme of this year’s Day, which is celebrated on 16 October in honour of the date of the
founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945, is ‘Agricultural cooperatives key to feeding the world.’
In a ceremony marking the Day at FAO’s headquarters in Rome, its Director-General, José Graziano
da Silva, called on governments to do their part and “create conditions that allow producer
organizations and cooperatives to thrive” as a major way to lift small-scale farmers out of poverty and
hunger.
Although they produce most of the food in many countries, they had poor access to markets to sell
their products, lack of bargaining power to buy inputs at better prices and a lack of access to financial
services, he said.
“Agricultural cooperatives can help smallholders overcome these constraints,” Graziano da Silva
stressed. “Cooperatives play a crucial role in generating employment, reducing poverty, and
improving food security, and contributing to the gross domestic product in many countries.”
Speaking at the same ceremony, the UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) Executive Director, Ertharin
Cousin, underscored the need for social safety nets for those who could barely feed themselves.
“In our world, too many still struggle to find their next meal,” she said. “Social protection and safety
net programmes enable the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, to lift themselves out
of hunger and poverty. These programmes provide a cushion that is otherwise unavailable and build
resilience against economic and environmental shocks.”
At the same event, the head of the UN International Fund on Agricultural Development (IFAD), which
seeks to empower poor rural women and men in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and
improved food security, highlighted its role in working closely with cooperatives worldwide.
“From tea growers in Rwanda to livestock resource centres in Nepal, there are many examples of how
cooperatives better support smallholder farmers to not only organize themselves, but to collectively
increase their opportunities and resources,” IFAD’s President Kanayo Nwanze said.
“Our experience at IFAD working with farmers has proven time and time again that cooperatives are
critical to reach these objectives,” he added. “This is why we place a lot of emphasis on cooperatives
and continue to enhance our work with them.”
Speaking from Geneva, the Director-General of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy
Ryder, added his voice to the messages issued on the Day.
“Experience around the world shows that farmers, fisherfolk, foresters and herders have used
cooperative organization to increase food production, gain market access, obtain better prices on
agricultural inputs, participate more effectively in global value chains and also to manage natural
resources and enhance food security,” he said.
In a report launched on World Food Day, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that the
ecological foundations that support food security, including biodiversity are being undermined.
“The era of seemingly ever-lasting production based upon maximizing inputs such as fertilizers and
pesticides, mining supplies of freshwater and fertile arable land and advancements linked to
mechanization are hitting their limits, if indeed they have not already hit them,” UNEP’s Executive
Director, Achim Steiner, said in a news release.
“The world needs a green revolution but with a capital ‘G’: one that better understands how food is
actually grown and produced in terms of the nature-based inputs provided by forests, freshwaters
and biodiversity,” he added.
The report – Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Food Security through
Sustainable Food System – was produced in collaboration with IFAD, FAO, WFP, World Bank, and the
World Resources Institute, a global environmental think tank.
It points out the challenges posed by overfishing, unsustainable water use, environmentally
degrading agricultural practices and other human activities and calls for the redesign of sustainable
agriculture systems, dietary changes, and storage systems and new food standards to reduce
waste.....PACNEWS (PINA)
IFAD Launches Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture
Programme
4 October 2012: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has
launched a new programme to channel climate and environmental finance to
smallholder farmers in an effort to leverage a greater impact on climate change
resilience through IFAD's new annual investments of approximately $1 billion.
The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) will provide financing targeted at
integrating and scaling-up adaptation into traditional agricultural development for smallholder
activities.
The first grant of $4.9 million through the ASAP programme was approved to support the integration
of adaptation into activities in the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane and Maputo in the Republic of
Mozambique, through the $45 million Pro-poor Value Chain Project in the Maputo and Limpopo
Corridors (PROSUL). The project works on value chains related to irrigated horticulture, cassava, and
red meat, and aims to increase income of farmers through intensification and diversification. The
project's climate change elements are designed to respond to scarce and irregular rainfall, and to
adapt to an expected long-term reduction in soil moisture content.
Activities will include installation of water management infrastructure, improvement of weather
station networks, capacity building for farmer groups, and new agricultural techniques such as
intensified cassava systems that integrate mixed cropping. This is expected to result in strengthened
capacity to adapt to emerging risks and a reduction of soil degradation in drought-prone
regions. [IFAD Press Release]
CCAFS Reports Highlight Vulnerability of Agricultural and
Aquatic Systems to Climate Change
October 2012: The Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Program (CCAFS)
of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has
released a working paper that describes the likely impacts of climate change on the
commodities and natural resources under the mandate of the CGIAR.
The paper, titled "Impacts of Climate Change on the Agricultural and Aquatic Systems and Natural
Resources within CGIAR's Mandate," reveals that, with few exceptions, the likely impacts of climate
change on key food staples and natural resources are not understood. This is due in part to
uncertainties about climate impacts at the local level, as well as interactions between climate and the
distribution of weeds, pests and diseases.
The report covers 22 agricultural commodities alongside chapters on agroforestry, forests and water
resources, exploring the importance of each commodity, its biological vulnerability to climate change,
and the vulnerability of populations that depend partially or wholly on the resources. The report was
developed as a background document for the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and
Nutrition through the UN Committee on World Food Security. [Publication: Impacts of Climate Change
on the Agricultural and Aquatic Systems and Natural Resources within CGIAR's Mandate]
Brussels Development Briefing: Climate change, agriculture and
food security
Date: 27 September, 2012
Time: 08:30
Venue: European Commission, Borschette Building
Location: Brussels, Belgium
The next Brussels Development Briefing will focus on ‘Climate change, agriculture and food
security: proven approaches and new investments’.
Climate change – both natural and anthropogenic – will lead to significant global and local changes in
the near future. Agriculture is contributing significantly to GHG emmissions, but will also be among
the sectors most severely impacted by changes in climate patterns. Climate change will affect all four
dimensions of food security: food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food systems
stability.
It will address issues related to agriculture and food security in a changing climate, and how
agriculture can increase resilience to climate change effects.
In particular, it will:
i.
raise awareness in Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) countries on the key challenges posed to
agriculture by climate changes;
ii.
increase exchange of information and expertise on strategies to develop climate-smart
agriculture and proven successes; and
iii.
facilitate networking among development partners.
The briefing, wich will be held on 27 September, 2012 at 8:30 AM CET, is organized in
collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
(CCAFS).
Invitees include around 120 ACP-EU policy-makers and representatives of EU Member States, civil
society groups, research networks and development practitioners, and international organizations
based in Brussels.
The Briefing will be fully webstreamed in English and French.
Program
Panel 1: Agriculture, food security and climate change: What’s new?
This panel will present the key concepts, challenges and opportunities for agriculture and food
security in relation to climate change. It will give an overview of the international negotiations on
climate change and how they feature agriculture, especially in the context of ACP countries, and the
farmers’ perspective on how progress can best be achieved. It will include an overview of climate
finance for agriculture that is relevant to ACP countries.
Panellists:

Agriculture under climate change: challenges and outlook
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)

The status of agriculture in negotiations on climate change: update and outlook
George Wamukoya, Climate Change Advisor, COMESA

Planning for climate-smart landscapes
Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre

View from ACP farmers: successes to date and needs for the future
Ishmael Sunga, CEO, The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU)

Leveraging finance for climate-smart agriculture: overview of funding mechanisms relevant to
ACP countries
Charlotte Streck of Climate Focus, Director of Climate Focus and a former Senior Counsel with
the World Bank, USA
Panel 2: Opportunities and innovations to bring climate-smart agriculture to scale
This panel will present a set of proven innovations to deliver climate-smart agriculture. It will present
climate-smart interventions that work – socially, economically and environmentally – and could be
scaled up in ACP agricultural and food systems.
Panellists:

Scaling-up the implementation of climate-smart agriculture: innovations and successes
Keith Alverson, Head of Climate Change Adaptation and Terrestrial Ecosystems Branch and
Climate Change Adaptation Unit, UNEP

Reaching scale through the private sector: the case of index-based weather insurance
K N Rao, CEO, Agricultural Insurance Company of India

Integrated national and regional approaches to climate-smart agriculture in: the Caribbean
Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer, Caribbean Community Climate
Change Centre (CCCCC)

Successes in climate adaptation and mitigation in the Pacific region
Taito Nakalevu, Project Manager, Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC), Secretariat of
the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

How farmers are linking food security, adaptation and mitigation in East Africa
Moses Tenywa, Director of Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo
(MUARIK), Uganda
Conclusions
For more information:
http://brusselsbriefings.net
New publication: "Incorporating climate change considerations
into agricultural investment programmes - A guidance
document"
FAO presents a new publication: “Incorporating climate change considerations into agricultural
investment programmes – A guidance document”. The guidance document is intended to help
governments and their professional advisers in agricultural and rural development investment
operations to mainstream climate change considerations in programme identification, design and
supervision. It summarises pertinent information from FAO and external sources, and provides links
to further resources. The guidance document explains options and good practices on rapid
assessments, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.
Learning modules based upon the guidance document are currently under preparation and an elearning module is planned for 2013.
More information can be found here: http://www.fao.org/investment/newsandmeetings/newsarchive/detail/en/?dyna_fef[uid]=150132 and the document can be downloaded from here:
http://typo3.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/tci/pdf/climate_change_considerations.pdf.
Livestock and renewable energy
The ‘Livestock and renewable energy’ paper assesses existing synergies
between livestock and the renewable energy sector. It considers the potential
benefits that could arise from the interaction of these sectors in areas such
as mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, environmental preservation (soil
restoration), and availability of clean, affordable and reliable energy sources
(for example biogas). It outlines livestock’s potential as a renewable energy
source, through the use of cost-effective technologies such as biogas systems
that can stem methane emissions from livestock manure by recovering the
gas and using it as an energy source in alternative to wood/charcoal or fossil
fuel. It explores the climate change scenario, considers viable applications of Renewable Energy
Technologies (RETs) addressed for small-scale farmers and livestock keepers at different levels of the
value chain and examines how this can provide multifunctional benefits for households, community
and the environment.
Download the paper
Supporting small forest enterprises – A facilitator’s
toolkit. Pocket guidance not rocket science!
The goal of this toolkit is to help supporters of small and medium forest
enterprises (SMFEs) work more effectively. It is aimed at 'facilitators', for example
donors at the international level and, most importantly, government extension
services and non-governmental organisations at the national level. Each of the
sixteen modules (or tools) provides step-by-step guidance, followed by practical
tips based on our personal experiences. We have also included a section pointing
the reader to other useful manuals and tools already in existence. At the end of
this toolkit is a reference list and a glossary of terms
Download the toolkit
The toolkit is now also available in French
Investing in locally controlled forestry: natural
protection for people and planet
As a policy research organisation, the International Institute for Environment
and Development has evolved key concepts, theories and ways of working in
sustainable development since 1973. The big idea we explore here is investing in
locally controlled forestry.
This approach rests on the fact that people living in or near forests – families,
communities and indigenous peoples – have significant interest in ensuring the sustainability of the
forest resources on which they depend. By supporting these communities’ long-term stewardship of
forested land, we can tackle two urgent global issues — forest loss and insecure livelihoods —
together.
Download the pocket book
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Climate Change
Ilan Kelman: http://www.ilankelman.org/contact.html
Island Vulnerability and Resilience: http://www.islandvulnerability.org
Over the past few years, I and colleagues have published several scientific papers on Small Island
Developing States (SIDS; http://www.sidsnet.org) dealing with climate change, as listed below.
The recent publications are part of the Many Strong Voices programme
http://www.manystrongvoices.org for climate change action in the Arctic and SIDS. As part of this
programme, I have collected documents from the 1989 Maldives conference on SIDS and sea-level
rise at http://www.islandvulnerability.org/slr1989.html as well as from the 1974-1976 UNESCO
Man and the Biosphere programme in Fiji at http://www.islandvulnerability.org/mabfiji.html
I would be happy to receive your work on these topics so that I could learn from it. Thank you!
SIDS and Climate Change (freely available online)
CICERO and UNEP/GRID-Arendal. 2008. Many Strong Voices: Outline for an assessment project
design. CICERO Report 2008:05. CICERO (Center for International Climate and Environmental
Research, Oslo), Oslo, Norway. Full text at http://www.cicero.uio.no/media/6359.pdf
Kelman, I. 2006. “Island Security and Disaster Diplomacy in the Context of Climate Change”. Les
Cahiers de la Sécurité, vol. 63, pp. 61-94. Full text (English and French) at
http://www.disasterdiplomacy.org/publications.html#kelman2006b
Kelman, I. 2008. “Island Evacuation”. Forced Migration Review, issue 31 (October 2008), pp. 2021. Full text in English at http://fmreview.nonuniv.ox.ac.uk/FMRpdfs/FMR31/20-21.pdf (Spanish,
French, and Arabic versions are also available).
Kelman, I. 2010. “Review of Jon Barnett & John Campbell (2010) Climate Change and Small
Island States: Power, Knowledge and the South Pacific”. Island Studies Journal, vol. 5, no. 1, pp.
261-263. Full text at
http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-5-2-2010-BOOKREVIEWS.pdf
Kelman, I., J. Mercer, and J. West. 2009. “Combining different knowledges: community-based
climate change adaptation in small island developing states”. Participatory Learning and Action
Notes, no. 60, pp. 41-53. Full text (English and Arabic) at http://pubs.iied.org/G02812.html
Kelman, I. and J. West. 2009. “Climate Change and Small Island Developing States: A Critical
Review”. Ecological and Environmental Anthropology, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-16. Full text at
http://eea.anthro.uga.edu/index.php/eea/article/viewArticle/69
Le Masson, V. and I. Kelman. 2011. “Entendre les préoccupations des populations des petits États
insulaires en développement dans l’adaptation au changement climatique”. VertigO, vol. 10, no. 3,
online. Full text (French only) at http://vertigo.revues.org/10572
Mercer, J., I. Kelman, B. Alfthan, and T. Kurvits. 2012. “Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate
Change in Caribbean Small Island Developing States: Integrating Local and External Knowledge”.
Sustainability, vol. 4, no. 8, pp. 1908-1932. Full text at
http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/4/8/1908/pdf
SIDS and Climate Change (not freely available online; please contact me)
Crump, J. and I. Kelman. 2009. “Many Strong Voices from Arctic and Island Peoples”. Pp. 284-295
in UNESCO (ed.), Climate Change and Arctic Sustainable Development, UNESCO, Paris, France
(English and French). http://publishing.unesco.org/details.aspx?Code_Livre=4722
Karlsson, M. and I. Kelman. 2010. “Island Challenges: Participatory Processes for Dealing with
Climate Change”. LiNQ, vol. 37, pp. 104-116. http://www.linq.org.au
Kelman, I. 2010. “Hearing local voices from Small Island Developing States for climate change”.
Local Environment, vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 605-619.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13549839.2010.498812
Kelman, I. 2011. “Dealing with Climate Change on Small Island Developing States”. Practicing
Anthropology, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 28-32. http://sfaa.metapress.com/link.asp?id=y716x2w644163050
Kelman, I. and J.C. Gaillard. 2009. “Challenges and Opportunities of Disaster-Related Public
Anthropology”. Asian Journal of Environment and Disaster Management , vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 119139. http://www.rpsonline.com.sg/journals/101-ajedm/2009/0102/S1793924009000194.php
Related Articles on Island Vulnerability and Resilience from 2010-2012
Le Masson, V. and I. Kelman. 2011. “Disaster risk reduction on non-sovereign islands: La Réunion
and Mayotte, France”. Natural Hazards, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 251-273.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/n593676360215rx7 (not freely available; please contact me).
Kelman, I., J. Lewis, J.C. Gaillard, J. Mercer. 2011. “Participatory action research for dealing with
disasters on islands”. Island Studies Journal, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 59-86. Full text at
http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-6-1-2011-Kelman-et-al_0.pdf
Kelman, I., J. Mercer, and J.C. Gaillard. 2012. “Indigenous knowledge and disaster risk reduction”.
Geography, vol. 97, no. 1, pp. 12-21.
http://www.geography.org.uk/journals/journals.asp?articleID=926 (not freely available; please
contact me).
Lewis, J. and I. Kelman. 2010. “Places, people and perpetuity: Community capacities in ecologies
of catastrophe”. ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 191220. Full text at http://www.acme-journal.org/vol9/LewisKelman10.pdf
Mercer, J. and I. Kelman. 2010. “Living alongside a volcano in Baliau, Papua New Guinea”.
Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 412-422. Full text at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1881340
Mercer, J., I. Kelman, L. Taranis, and S. Suchet-Pearson. 2010. “Framework for Integrating
Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction”. Disasters, vol. 34, no. 1, pp.
214-239. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2009.01126.x/abstract (not freely
available; please contact me).
UN-REDD Programme October Newsletter
In the October issue of the UN-REDD Programme newsletter, read more on the latest REDD+
progress in Indonesia, Panama, Solomon Islands and Tanzania, as well as details on the
Programme’s upcoming Policy Board meeting in Brazzaville and the Programme’s new Policy
Brief on the multiple benefits of REDD+.
Let us know what you think about anything you see in this month’s newsletter on the
UN-REDD Programme blog or Facebook page.
Pacific Agricultural and Forestry Ministers Endorse Regional
REDD+ Framework
1 October 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
announced that the Third Regional Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture
and Forestry, which convened on 28 September 2012, in Nadi, Fiji,
endorsed the Pacific Islands Regional Policy Framework for Reducing
Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation and forest conservation,
sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+).
According to SPC, the framework aims to support Pacific Island countries (PICs) to address and
participate in international regimes on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction in the forest and
trees sector. The framework was developed as part of a regional project titled "Climate Protection
through Forest Conservation in Pacific Islands Countries," funded by the International Climate
Initiative of Germany's Federal Environment Ministry.
SPC says the Framework provides options to guide national REDD+ programme development in the
four larger Melanesian countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. These
countries are preparing to receive performance-based payments from national-scale accounted
emission reductions. Smaller PICs are expected to benefit from such a project-based, site-specific
approach to REDD+. [SPC Press Release]
His REDD+, her REDD+: how integrating gender
can improve readiness
To change the ways people use forested land, we need to ask questions about the
roles of men, women and children. Nearly fifty countries have begun preparing for
readiness to reduce emissions from land use and land use changes under the UNREDD and Forest Carbon Partnership Facility processes. Because gender disparities
profoundly shape agriculture and other land use, REDD+ readiness plans should
not only avoid harming women and other marginalised groups, but actively seek to
address their needs and harness their strengths. Different genders and generations play different
roles in value chains for products that use — or conserve — forest resources. Analysing these value
chains provides the data to improve interventions. But planners also need to consider gender
differences in control of resources, knowledge, decision-making structures and distribution of
benefits.
Download the paper
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE: RADAUS
PACNEWS 3: Mon 29 Oct 2012
ACP develops common climate change policy
29 OCTOBER 2012 BRUSSELS (RADIO AUSTRALIA) --- Pacific Islands nations are meeting in Vanuatu
to work on a common climate change policy.
Pacific Islands nations are meeting in Vanuatu to work on an enhanced, regional cooperation policy to
cope with the effects of climate change.
The meeting in Port Vila is part of a briefing series for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group
of States, organised with the European Union's Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural
Development (CTA).
“The impact of climate change on small islands, like the ones in the Pacific and elsewhere, is much
more important than in other countries,”Isolina Boto, head of the CTA office in Brussels, Belgium, told
Pacific Beat.
Small island nation contribute less than 0.03 per cent of current global greenhouse gas emissions, but
say they are among the first to feel the environmental, social and economic effects.
“The challenges we are all facing are a stark reminder for the need to reinforce globalism and to force
long lasting partnerships” Alfred Roland Carlot, Vanuatu's Minister of Foreign Affairs & External Trade,
said.
It's hoped the policy-makers, researchers, civil society groups, and development partners due to
gather in Port Vila between 31 October and 2 November will begin developing shared responses and
common strategies to climate change.
“Some of the islands - if you talk about Mauritius or if you talk about Singapore - they have really
shown resilience by having the right strategies, the right policies in place,” Boto said.
“It requires a policy, frameworks in place, and actions, and in the case of the Pacific we believe very
much that they can take advantage of experiences elsewhere and that there is added value in
building a regional strategy and a regional approach.”
This week's briefing will feed into the first ACP Council of Ministers on Climate Change to be held in
Brussels from 7 to 9 November.
It will also contribute to the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 8th session of the Conference of the
Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, which take place later this month
in Qatar. ...PACNEWS (PINA)
PNG Climate change policy
28 SEPTEMBER 2012 PORT MORESBY (POST COURIER) ---- Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Forest
and Climate Change, Patrick Pruaitch, says climate change is a cross cutting issue that needs more
awareness and consultation.
“Policies on climate change management will provide a roadmap for strategies. The Office of Climate
Change Development (OCCD), as a lead agency and coordinating office must take leadership and
ownership in the work on the climate change management policy.” Pruaitch said.
He said international donors like the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have been
assisting OCCD with funding and technical assistance.
“As Minister responsible for climate change, I acknowledge the assistance of international donors, but
leadership and responsibility for coordinating policy development must be taken back by the OCCD.”
Pruaitch said Papua New Guinea as a leader in climate change negotiations must be made aware of
the leaderships’ weaknesses in and among developed nations.”
“Climate Change legislation and policy framework are my top priority as the Minister responsible, to
guide both the response measures due to impacts of climate change which includes REDD+
implementation in the country and to probe opportunities that arise.
He said the government fully understands this, that is why the Government through the work of the
OCCD after 2 years of pulling together fact based information, is now developing a Climate Change
and Development Policy (CCDP).
“What we do in this organization will send a signal to the world that Papua New Guinea is serious
about Climate Change,” he said
OCCD Acting Executive Director, Varigini Badira when briefing the Minister and his team, said the
draft policy was now ready to go through the required consultation process after being reviewed by
multiple Port Moresby based stakeholders including key Government agencies, development partners
like AusAID, JICA, NGOs, representatives from the private sector and the civil society.
“As we speak, this policy is being drafted together with the Climate Change Authority Bill to set-up an
appropriate institution to implement the policy,”. Badira said.
Badira said these stakeholders were invited through a public notice for their input into the draft
document. Further input will be gauged in four regional workshops planned for October, 2012.
“The drafting of the CCDP is the Government’s blue print to achieve its vision in building a climateresilient and carbon neutral pathway through sustainable economic development for Papua New
Guinea.”
To achieve this, the Government intends to drive the efforts of the whole country towards a low
carbon growth pathway by 2030 and be climate compatible by 2050.....PACNEWS (PINA)
SPREP, UNEP to Cooperate on Climate Change
17 October 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
(SPREP) has announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), to guide future cooperation and
ensure coordinated support to Pacific island countries (PICs).
According to SPREP, the five-year MOU between SPREP and UNEP will help ensure increased
cooperation in mutual areas of work and expertise. Planned cooperation includes the exchange of
environmental information, and capacity building for PICs to access and manage environmental and
climate change resources.
The MOU was signed on the sidelines to the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11)
to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Hyderabad, India. [SPREP Press Release]
October 2012
Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change Newsletter
Center for Sustainable Development
Dear Climate-L Colleagues,
Please find a link to our October Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change newsletter here:
http://www.csd-i.org/csdi-blog/2012/10/17/cba-climate-change-news-lesotho-st-lucia-mozambiquetanzania.html
The newsletter contains highlights of current CBA field projects and compilations of hands-on CBA
field resources. This month’s theme is climate smart agriculture for smallholder farmers.
October Newsletter Summary:
1. Tanzania: Adaptation Through Conservation Agriculture
Chris Enns (Canada), has been working for the past 18 months on a project in the community of
Wagete, Tanzania. 4000 community members are suffering from reduced crop yields due to
unpredictable weather patterns related to climate change.
2. Saint Lucia: Adaptation, Agriculture and Livelihoods
Brenda Wilson has been working on a project in St. Lucia. 25 households have reduced incomes from
poor agricultural production due to changes in the weather patterns bringing extreme weather events
and unpredictable beginning and end of the rainy season.
3. Mozambique: Finding Climate Smart Agricultural Solutions to Famine
Phipps Campira (Mozambique), Zipo Akinyi (Kenya/New Zealand), and Lenneke Knoop (The
Netherlands). 566 households are suffering from chronic malnutrition caused by climate change
related unpredictable rain and extreme weather events.
4. Kingdom of Lesotho: Climate Change and Poor Harvests
Mapale Matsela (Lesotho), Tavatya Madzvamuse (Uganda), and Nana Lupyani (Zambia). 1,800
members in Mpharane have poor harvests due to climate change related unpredictable start of rainy
season, unusual dry periods, and extreme weather events/floods.
5. Grenada: Drought and Flooding: Dual Challenges
Gillian Primus (Grenada), Hanna Bartel (Canada). Grenada has been hit by a series of hurricanes
exhibiting increased ferocity over the past seven years leading to reduced crop harvests, a reduction
in food security, increased malnutrition, and increased poverty.
6. Fiji: Loraini Sivo Wins GEF Grant Award for Project Developed in Online Course
In 2011 Loraini Sivo (Fiji) and Fatema Rajabali (UK). Says Loraini: "The course helped me develop a
concept for Yadua on a small scale ecosystem-based adaptation climate change project which was
then submitted to GEF Small Grants."
8. Best of October Online Resources for CBA Practitioners
 Climate Smart Agriculture: Empirical Evidence of Food Security and Mitigation Benefits. FAO.
 A Field Guide to Community Based Adaptation. Routledge-Earthscan.
Link: October Newsletter
To learn about other partner projects in real time, please visit our Facebook Page or CSDi
Development Community to see their regular postings.
Questions? Please contact:
[email protected]
Sincerely,
Tim Magee, Executive Director
Center for Sustainable Development
http://www.csd-i.org/
The Center for Sustainable Development specializes in providing sound, evidence-based information,
tools and training for humanitarian development professionals worldwide. CSDi is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization.
How Climate Services Can Help Countries Adapt to Climate
Variability and Change
Posted on: Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
By: Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization
The Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) was launched in 2009 by the World Climate
Conference – 3 as a global partnership of governments and organizations that produce and use
climate services[1]. This initiative of the United Nations system seeks to facilitate global access to
continuously improved climate services in the four priority sectors of agriculture and food security,
disaster risk reduction (DRR), health and water by the end of 2017. The objective for end-2021 is to
facilitate access to improved climate services across all climate-sensitive sectors.
As a next critical step, the World Meteorological Congress will hold its first-ever extraordinary session
in Geneva on 29-31 October 2012 to decide on the Framework’s implementation plan, governance
model and rules of procedure.
Climate services take advantage of the significant improvements that have been made in climate
prediction and in climate change scenarios. Useful predictions of whether the next season, year or
decade is likely to be warmer or colder, or drier or wetter, than average, including at the regional and
country levels, are increasingly available. These scientific advances rest on research into large-scale
and long-term processes, such as land-cover change, ocean temperatures and currents, and
greenhouse gas emissions. Key inputs are observations of today’s climate, records of past climates,
and computer-based scientific modeling of climate processes.
As a result, seasonal to multiyear climate forecasts and predictions can now be used to generate
actionable information for decision-making on all climate-sensitive sectors. A growing number of
countries are building on their experience in weather forecasting to customize climate information and
target it to specific users. These climate services make it possible to incorporate science-based
climate information and prediction into planning, policy and practice to achieve real benefits for
society.
Climate services often involve integrating climate information with information from other sectors.
This requires close collaboration between agencies and experts from different fields. The resulting
information must then be presented in user-friendly formats so that policymakers, planners, investors
and vulnerable communities can prepare in advance. For example, when presenting information in
the form of probabilities, climate service providers take special care to communicate the concept of
probability to people who may be generalists or specialists in other fields. They also ensure that the
information they generate is easily accessible, whether via open websites, the public media or
dedicated delivery channels.
To succeed in expanding the scope and impact of climate services, the Global Framework will be
driven by the needs of users. Lessons learned from existing climate services make it clear that
engaging the health, water, disaster and agriculture communities requires supporting their existing
priorities and work plans for addressing the climate risks to these sectors. Climate service providers
also need to respond to the very specific needs of the distinct user groups within these broad sectors.
National capacity building is also essential to ensuring that people fully understand the climate
products and can apply climate information effectively.
The GFCS actively encourages a broad exchange of views about how to tailor climate services. It
advocates interdisciplinary collaboration between government agencies, private companies and
research institutions, and it promotes collaborative problem-solving and “learning from others”.
Building trust with other sectors will encourage data sharing and make it easier to assemble
multidisciplinary datasets and products.
GFCS also advocates for dependable funding to sustain national monitoring and information
infrastructure, from satellites and weather centres to databases and trained personnel. Long-term
operating and maintenance costs also need to be secured. Unless governments invest in climate
prediction and information and in capacity development, it will not be possible to ensure the delivery
and use of climate services, which are urgently needed by the people and communities who are the
most vulnerable to climate impacts. GFCS aims to maximize the efficiency of these investments and
make it easier for funders to assess the needs of climate service users and providers and to see
results and returns on their investments.
The GFCS is an ambitious initiative. Its success will be measured by its ability to establish an effective
and sustained global partnership, strengthened national and regional climate services, and
empowered people around the world to adapt and respond to the impacts of climate variability and
climate change. Individuals, organizations and governments concerned about improving humanity’s
ability to adapt to climate variability and climate change are invited to contribute to this effort.
Action on climate change crucial to water and food security,
Ban stresses at UN event
28 SEPTEMBER 2012 NEW YORK (UN NEWS CENTRE) ----- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today
called again for urgent and concrete action on climate change, as high-level officials gathered at the
United Nations to discuss the growing global concern over the impacts of the phenomenon on food
and water security.
“Action on climate change remains a major piece of unfinished business,” Ban told an event hosted
by Qatar on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 67th session of the General Assembly.
Last December, Member States agreed to reach a legally binding agreement on climate change by
2015, he said, referring to the decision taken by the 194 parties to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) at their conference in Durban, South Africa.
“Two days ago I called on Member States to make good on this promise. Time is running out on our
ability to limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees centigrade.”
It is vital for everyone to work together to make the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, to be
held in the Qatari capital of Doha from 26 November to 7 December, “a major stepping stone to a
global, robust and legally binding climate regime,” said Ban.
The world, he said, is witnessing the highest levels of emissions ever; the Arctic sea ice is again at an
all-time low; and it is another record year for wild fires, droughts and flooding. Climate change is
making weather patterns both extreme and unpredictable, contributing to volatility in global food
prices, which means food and nutrition insecurity for the poor and the most vulnerable.
The Secretary-General has made food security a top priority through the Zero Hunger Challenge he
launched at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil in June.
The initiative aims for a future where every individual has adequate nutrition and where all food
systems are resilient. Its five objectives are to make sure that everyone in the world has access to
enough nutritious food all year long; to end childhood stunting; to build sustainable food systems; to
double the productivity and income of smallholder farmers, especially women; and to prevent food
from being lost or wasted.
Ending hunger will mean climate-smart, climate-resilient agriculture, as well as policies that are
water-smart, energy-efficient, and that promote inclusive green growth, Ban said.
Also crucial is more private and public investment in science, innovation and applied research, as well
as innovative partnerships among farmers, governments, businesses, academia, international
organizations and civil society.
“But our efforts will come to naught if we don’t work together to slow down the carbon emissions
that are warming the planet,” Ban stated.
He called on governments to adopt the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol when they
meet later this year in Doha. The first commitment period of the Protocol, the legally binding treaty to
reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, expires this year.
“The emission reduction targets of the new Kyoto treaty are not sufficient – we know that – but they
are necessary starting point from which to build a future global agreement by 2015,” he stated.
It is also important to address the gap between fast-start finance and long-term finance so that by
2020 climate finance is being mobilized at the agreed level of $100 billion a year, he said, calling for
accelerating efforts to make the Green Climate Fund, approved last year in Durban, fully operational.
“This is the path to water and food security,” he stated.....PACNEWS (PINA)
SPC Supports Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in
Solomon Islands
27 September 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) announced the
completion of a climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment in Choiseul
Province, Solomon Islands. Assessing the impacts of climate change and other drivers, including
population growth, unsustainable land use and logging, on land- and marine-based resources and
community life in Choiseul, the study observed heightened coastal erosion caused by the removal of
mangroves, coastal trees and shrubs, as well as the construction of ill-designed and ill-placed
seawalls, groins and log ponds.
The assessment was completed under the German-funded Regional Programme on Coping with
Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCCPIR), in partnership with the US Agency for
International Development (USAID)-funded Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA) project, implemented
by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
In consultation with the community, the team identified adaptation actions using Reef-2-Ridge and
EbA approaches. The vulnerability assessment is currently being drafted by SPC. [SPC Press Release]
UNGA High-level Debate Recognizes Climate Change Effects on
Vulnerable States
26 September 2012: During the second day of the
High-level Debate of the 67th session UN General
Assembly (UNGA), several speakers expressed
commitments to address climate change. Others expressed concerns about the effects of climate
change on vulnerable States and highlighted the potential for climate change to contribute to
conflicts.
Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, President of Mexico, expressed Mexico’s commitment to tackle climate
change, and emphasized that countries can simultaneously mitigate climate change impacts and
tackle poverty. Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine, recognized climate change as a priority task,
noting Ukraine’s voluntary commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions 20% by
2020.
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, stated that while progress had been made at the UNFCCC
meetings, more commitments were needed to reduce carbon emissions and mobilize financial and
technological resources for adaptation among the most vulnerable countries, particularly the least
developed countries (LDCs), the Landlocked Developing Countries and the small island developing
States (SIDS). Mario Monti, Prime Minister of Italy, also expressed concern for the future of the most
vulnerable countries, particularly small island States. He said all countries have a joint responsibility to
address climate change, including the sustainable development of oceans and the preservation of
their biodiversity, ecosystems and resilience. Cheick Modibo Diarra, President of Mali, noted the
effects of climate change on both ecosystems and livelihoods, particularly in vulnerable countries.
Anote Tong, President of Kiribati, described climate change as “the greatest moral challenge of our
time.” He stressed the need for urgent, intensified action to address climate change and sea level
rise, noting the threats it poses to the long-term survival of Kiribati and the world. He also called for
development assistance on adaptation.
King Mswati III of Swaziland called for the adoption of environmentally-friendly technologies to
address climate change concerns and welcomed commitments made under the Sustainable Energy
for All (SE4ALL) Initiative.
Some speakers noted connections between climate change and conflict. Mwai Kibaki, President of
Kenya, underlined that strengthening global institutions on biodiversity, climate change and
environment were critical in avoiding conflicts and disputes. Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia,
noted that climate change threatens food security, affecting development. Titus Corlatean, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Romania, said climate change has affected water availability, and urged action to
avoid the potential for future conflicts over lack of water resources. [UNGA 67 High-level Debate
Website]
IOM, ADB Launch Asia-Pacific Migration and Environment
Network
18 September 2012: The International Organization for Migration
(IOM) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have launched the AsiaPacific Migration and Environment Network (AMPEN). AMPEN is an
internet-based resource to facilitate interaction on environment and
migration in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to IOM, the site is designed to encourage the exchange of analysis, insights and
experience, as well as to stimulate dialogue among researchers and policy specialists, and raise public
awareness of environment and migration issues. AMPEN forms part of ADB’s work to generate policy
options for addressing climate-induced migration in the Asia-Pacific.
The AMPEN website contains country-specific data, as well as region-wide reports, papers and
presentations on environment and migration. Registered network members may also upload news,
events, photos, videos and publications through an onsite sharing tool, and participate in discussion
forums. [IOM Press Release] [APMEN Website]
Dear colleagues
Are the climate change information and knowledge sharing resources currently available online
actually helping us make better decisions? What challenges do people face in accessing and applying
online knowledge resources? And what needs do they have that aren’t being met?
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Institute of Development
Studies (IDS) are undertaking a study, “From Knowledge to Action: Understanding the Needs of
Climate Information Users,” funded by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) to
answer some of these questions. As the title of our study indicates, we want to understand the needs
of users like you, and to do so, we need your help via the completion of a short survey found
in English, French and Spanish.
The survey will take less than 15 minutes to complete—15 minutes that may help improve the
relevance and quality of knowledge sharing on climate change.
We look forward to receiving your input before November 2nd.
Sincerely,
Anne Hammill
NB: This broad user needs survey will be complemented by four in-depth case studies, where we will
interview and/or survey identified users of four specific knowledge-brokering platforms. These
platforms are: AfricaAdapt, Climate Change Policy & Practice , Climate Finance
Options and Eldis Climate Change Resource Guide. If you are a user of any of these platforms
and would be willing to be interviewed for 30 minutes or so, please contact Daniella Echeverría.
International Conference on Forests for Food
Security and Nutrition
Enhancing the benefits for rural people
FAO, Rome, Italy 13–15 May 2013
CONCEPT NOTE
Background
Food security and nutrition are high on the political agenda at the global, regional and national levels.
FAO estimates that more than 945 million people go hungry every day, with no means to produce
sufficient food for themselves or to earn enough income with which to purchase it. With the world
population projected to rise to more than nine billion by 2050, FAO estimates that overall global
agricultural output needs to expand by about 60 per cent to meet global food requirements. This may
translate into putting new land into cultivation, consequently increasing pressure on existing natural
resources, including forests and rangelands.
Rising global food prices, coupled with the global economic crisis and high energy prices, have had a
negative impact on food security. The threat posed by climate change is expected to put the food
security of millions more people at risk in coming years. In many places, deforestation and unplanned
land-use change triggered by increasing demand for food, fibre and fuel are causing biodiversity loss
and desertification, reducing the productive capacity of ecosystems, affecting water availability and
limiting the collection of fuelwood – all of which have negative implications for food security,
especially that of the rural poor.
Forests harbour a large number of woody plants, climbers and herbs that provide food, fibre and
medicines. Many farmers increase food security on their lands by planting trees, retaining trees when
clearing for agriculture, and encouraging natural regeneration. Agroforestry systems combine crops
and/or livestock with trees to increase agricultural production and provide wood products and
ecosystem services.
Forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems contribute to food security, nutrition and livelihoods
in several ways, including as a direct source of food, fuel, employment and cash income. They are
fundamental to the survival of forest-dwellers, including many indigenous peoples, and are important
providers of ecosystem services: for example, they play a key role in irrigated and rain-fed farming
systems by helping to maintain or restore soil fertility. They help to deliver clean water by protecting
watersheds and water courses. For most of the year, herders in arid and semi-arid lands depend on
trees as a source of fodder for their livestock. As habitat to an estimated 80 percent of the world’s
biodiversity, forests provide genetic material important for crop and livestock improvement and are
home to many pollinator species. Forests and trees also help to mitigate climate change by absorbing
carbon dioxide and storing carbon, and they can help to reduce the vulnerability of people to climate
change and increase their capacity to adapt to it.
Forests are often particularly important for rural women, who use them to help ensure the food
security of their families. Three-quarters of all families in developing countries depend on fuelwood,
collected and used mainly by women for cooking and heating, and women also harvest a wide range
of forest products, such as medicines and wild foods, for household use and sale. In many countries,
women are also involved in enterprises to add value to non-wood forest products to supplement
household incomes.
Despite the undeniable importance of forests for food security, however, the rural poor are often
unable to fully benefit from them because of limited access and rights, emphasizing the critical need
for tenure security. FAO’s Committee on World Food Security recently endorsed the Voluntary
Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of
National Food Security, a major step towards ensuring the protection of tenure rights for all
stakeholders, but it is crucial that the Voluntary Guidelines are now implemented.
The many ways in which forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems contribute to food security
and nutrition are poorly understood, underestimated and inadequately reflected in many national
development and food security strategies, due in part to a lack of data, especially in developing
countries. Existing information is often anecdotal or limited to specific countries or products, and
there is no systematic data collection at a regional or global level. Coupled with poor coordination
among sectors at the national level, it means that forests are usually not considered in policy
decisions related to food security and nutrition.
Objectives
The International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition will increase understanding
of the important role that forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems can play in improving the
food security and nutrition of rural people, especially in developing countries. It will propose ways to
integrate this knowledge in policy decisions at the national and international levels.
The specific objectives are to:
o highlight the different ways in which forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems
contribute to food security and nutrition;
o identify key challenges and bottlenecks hindering the contribution of forests, trees on farms
and agroforestry systems to food security;
o Explore policy options, innovative approaches and opportunities to increase recognition of the
importance of forests and trees in reducing the number of food-insecure and malnourished
people; improve the availability of information and appropriate technology; and increase access
to forests by the rural poor.
The conference will emphasize broad-based interdisciplinary approaches that support access to
resources, participatory decision-making and equity as a way of improving livelihoods, food security
and nutrition, especially among the rural poor.
Participants
Approximately 200 participants are expected to attend the conference, including policy-makers from
government institutions across sectors (e.g. ministries in charge of forestry, environment, agriculture,
rural development, finance and planning); scientists; practitioners (e.g. those involved in forestry,
land use, food security, nutrition and climate change); the private sector; United Nations agencies
and other international organizations; non-governmental organizations, community and farmers’
organizations, and indigenous peoples’ groups. Wide geographic representation and the participation
of women will be encouraged.
Themes
For each theme, there will be keynote presentations, voluntary papers highlighting specific issues,
including case studies, and facilitated discussions.
Theme 1: The benefits from forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems for food
security and nutrition
Real examples will be presented to demonstrate the range of contributions to food security and
nutrition provided by forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems and the economic, social and
environmental benefits that such resources provide to rural populations, including the poor and
women. Presentations will address the following four key elements of food security:

Food availability – food from forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems;

Food accessibility – economic access to food through income generated by the production of
forest and agroforestry products, and by forest-based employment;

Food system stability – ecosystem services performed by forests and trees that build or enhance
the resilience of food production systems;

Food use – the consumption of food derived from forests and trees, woodfuels for food
preparation and processing, and knowledge of nutrition.
Theme 2: Key challenges and bottlenecks limiting the contribution of forests, trees on
farms and agroforestry systems to food security and nutrition
On the basis of thematic papers and case studies providing real data and evidence, discussions under
this theme will focus on, among other things:

Competition for natural resources arising from increasing food prices, rising energy costs,
urbanization and unsustainable food production and consumption patterns;

The impacts of climate change on the role of forests in food security;

Access and rights to resources and benefit-sharing, including gender issues;

The availability of data on the quantity and value of food from forests, trees on farms and
agroforestry systems and of the value of ecosystem services and their contributions to food
security and nutrition;

The availability of appropriate technologies to enhance the contributions of forests, trees on
farms and agroforestry systems to food security and nutrition;

Service delivery (extension, research and technology transfer), including the use of
indigenous/traditional knowledge;

Sectorial barriers.
Theme 3: Policy options, innovative approaches and emerging opportunities
This theme will entail presentations and discussions, based on well-researched, tested and practical
approaches to policy and practice, on ways to better integrate forest-based options in strategies to
improve food security and nutrition among rural people in developing countries. Topics will include :

Integrated national policy measures, governance mechanisms and investment planning
approaches to increase the contribution of forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems to
food security and nutrition;

Forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems for climate-smart agriculture;

Policy and regulatory reforms that ensure secure access to forests for vulnerable groups,
including women and youth, promote the development of small and medium forest enterprises,
and increase access to finance.

Increasing data availability through the production and distribution of improved statistics on food
security and other measures;

Creating an enabling local environment, including by supporting strong and innovative rural
institutions, to increase the uptake of good practices;

New, appropriate and sustainable technologies to increase production while taking into
consideration indigenous and traditional knowledge;

The role of indigenous peoples and their knowledge and cultural values in shaping food-security
policies;

International policy processes;

The co-benefits of achieving greater food security through sustainable forest management, such
as the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation.
Expected outcomes
A policy brief, complemented by a more detailed conference proceedings, will synthesize the
knowledge generated by the conference, highlight key aspects of the role of forests, trees on farms
and agroforestry in providing food security and nutrition, and identify a compact set of key messages
and recommendations. These key messages and recommendations will be communicated to and
integrated into broader policy dialogues on food security and nutrition at the global, regional and
national levels. The knowledge generated by the conference will support FAO’s strategy addressing
food security and nutrition in an integrated, cross-sectoral approach.
The launch of two forestry publications during the conference, media work and other outreach
activities will raise international visibility of the issue and will contribute to increased awareness of the
importance of forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems for food security and nutrition.
Organization
The conference is being coordinated by the FAO Forestry Department with inputs from Decentralized
Offices and in close collaboration with relevant departments in FAO, including those of Agriculture,
Fisheries, Natural Resources, Economic and Social Development and Technical Cooperation.
Partnerships are being established with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the World Bank and other international organizations, including
the Rome-based agencies, and with interested donor countries.
For more information please contact:
Eva Muller
Director
Forest Economics, Policy and Products Division (FOE)
FAO
Tel.: (+39) 06 570 54628
[email protected]