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A recent analysis by the United Nations (UN) reveals that agriculture is the most affected sector on a global scale due to climate challenges, causing direct economic losses for 40% of countries. This report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on December 1, 2023, in Dubai during the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was thoroughly discussed.
Agriculture - The Most Pressured Sector
The FAO report, based on the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of 168 countries under the 2015 Paris Agreement, highlights that agriculture is explicitly mentioned in one-third (35%) of current climate action plans. Surprisingly, three-fourths of the countries experiencing losses and damages are middle-income nations, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia.
Economic vs. Non-economic Losses
The analysis distinguishes between economic and non-economic losses. While 33% of non-economic losses are related to the agricultural sector, remarkably, agriculture is not the primary focus in discussions of losses, damages, and climate finance. The global agriculture and food sector, representing a business of over $3.6 trillion in 2020, providing employment to over 866 million people worldwide, has become foundational in global economies.
Challenges for Agricultural-Food Communities
Communities dependent on agriculture and food systems for their livelihoods are grappling with serious challenges, ranging from farmer poverty and food insecurity to limited access to services. The FAO study emphasizes that over the past 30 years, an estimated $3.8 trillion worth of crop and livestock production has been lost due to natural disasters.
Need for Better Practices and Tools
The FAO report stresses the need to enhance systems and tools for assessing negative impacts of climate change. Current approaches often fall short, especially in capturing events starting at slow paces and the non-economic dimensions of losses and damages. Additionally, the lack of a universally agreed-upon definition of loss at the international level complicates efforts to address this multifaceted challenge.
UAE Declaration: Integrating Food into Climate Plans
The UAE Declaration at COP28 marks a historic commitment by 134 countries to integrate food into their climate action plans (NDCs) by 2025. This commitment includes high-income food-producing nations emitting greenhouse gases, such as Brazil, China, and European Union members. The declaration acknowledges the need to address relationships between greenhouse gas emissions and food systems, marking a crucial step in identifying connections between nutrition, agriculture, and climate change.
Global Support for the Declaration
COP28 aims to establish a collaborative effort with a group of participants to provide countries with quality technical support to fulfill the goals of the declaration. The Collaborative Technical Cooperation has pledged over $200 million to enhance support and coordination in a wide-ranging portfolio. Experts commend the declaration for its crucial step toward identifying connections between food, agriculture, and climate change.
Call for Immediate Action and Specialized Investment
Experts emphasize the urgency of immediate action and substantial investments by governments to fulfill the commitments outlined in the special declaration. They stress the importance of science-based innovations, sufficient funding, and policy integration to bring about necessary changes in global food systems.
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