Finding sustainable agriculture solutions to meet food security and climate change challenges!

Agriculture is where climate change, food security, and development intersect!

Agriculture and Rural Development Day 2010, was held in parallel to COP16, brought agriculture sector adaptation and mitigation strategies to the forefront of the global climate treaty negotiations. It demonstrated that agriculture is where climate change, food security, and development intersect and advocated for a COP decision on a “work program for agriculture” — and at the same time looked beyond the negotiations.

Agriculture and Rural Development Day 2010 showed how agricultural development can contribute to low emission futures, while adapting to climate change and enhancing supporting sustainable food security. The ensuing messages together with those of Forest Day 4 will be presented jointly at an official COP side event on 6 Dec.

Last year’s Agriculture and Rural Development Day had increased the focus on the link between agriculture, food security and climate change, as well as forestry. This year we will build on that success by identifying policies and practical solutions to reduce agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen global food security and rural development.

The one-day event featured keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, a marketplace of ideas and exhibits.

Last year’s themes were

• Agricultural intensification as a REDD strategy
• Agricultural mitigation and carbon sequestration
• Adaptation for food security and development outcomes
• Capturing carbon finance, including through forestry, for agricultural development
• What scientific, technological, and methodological aspects need to be considered to advance agriculture’s contribution to mitigation and adaptation?

Looking at last year’s event

ARDD was held for the second time during the UNFCCC COP talks — attended by more than 400 policymakers and negotiators, rural development practitioners, agricultural producers, civil society and the agricultural and climate change scientific community. Speakers included Ignacio Rivera Rodriguez, Mexico’s Vice-Minister for Agriculture, and Inger Andersen, Chair of the CGIAR Fund Council and Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank.