FAO to guide programme to rework agri-food programs

The Meals and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has developed a programme to rework world agri-food programs.

Together with the Worldwide Fund for Agricultural Improvement (IFAD), FAO will lead the Meals Techniques Built-in Programme of the World Setting Facility (GEF).

The programme will direct an estimated $230 million – to be complemented by further co-financing – in undertaking grants.

These grants will assist international locations to rework their agri-food programs to be extra sustainable, and to ship world environmental advantages in conserving biodiversity, combatting land degradation, mitigating and adapting to local weather change, and contributing to nationwide meals safety.

Remodeling agri-food programs

Agri-food programs embody farming; harvesting; fishing; livestock-rearing; storing; processing; transporting promoting; shopping for; consuming; and disposing of our meals.

Agri-food programs additionally embody non-food assets that come from agriculture, like cotton and forest merchandise.

Whereas agri-food programs are the supply of vitamin and livelihoods, they’re additionally one of many main causes of environmental degradation, in response to the FAO.

Agricultural sectors together with forestry, and different land use sectors, are the largest drivers of world biodiversity loss the organisation has acknowledged.

Unsustainable agri-food programs globally degrade one third of agricultural land, contribute an estimated 30% of greenhouse fuel (GHG) emissions, and eat 70% of groundwater withdrawals.

FAO director-general, QU Dongyu stated: “As populations develop and diets enhance, we should remodel our agri-food programs to produce extra individuals with more healthy and nutritious meals, whereas conserving and restoring our ecosystems and pure assets.

“As we co-lead GEF’s Meals Techniques Built-in Program, we are going to proceed to work carefully with members to make sure an impactful catalysing transformation of nationwide and world agri-food programs.

“The just lately held COP27, and preparations for CBD (Conference on Organic Range) COP15, clearly point out there isn’t a time to waste – we should put agri-food programs transformation on the centre of options for biodiversity loss, meals insecurity and local weather crises,” he added.

Meals programs programme

The Meals Techniques Built-in Programme is the second largest programme authorised within the GEF’s programming instructions for 2022–2026, often known as GEF-8.

The programme will purpose to catalyse nationwide and world shifts in the direction of sustainable nature-positive manufacturing programs by supporting environment friendly, sustainable and resilient worth chains for crops, forest merchandise, commodities, livestock, and aquaculture.

FAO and IFAD purpose to align the programme with the outcomes of the 2021 UN Meals Techniques Summit and collaborate with companions, such because the United Nations Improvement Programme, the World Enterprise Council for Sustainable Improvement, the Nature Conservancy, and the Regional Improvement Banks to ship larger outcomes.

“Remodeling the best way we produce, distribute and eat meals in order that our actions are really inclusive and sustainable requires a paradigm shift,” IFAD president, Alvaro Lario stated.

“We have to work in partnership, assemble and leverage finance and investments, and strengthen insurance policies, data and capacities.

“The GEF Built-in Program on Meals Techniques will assist international locations to outline their nationwide pathways and prioritise interventions which have confirmed to ship measurable advantages for the local weather, the surroundings and the individuals.”

FAO and IFAD are implementing companies of the GEF, a partnership of 18 companies and 183 international locations which addresses the world’s most difficult environmental points associated to biodiversity, local weather change, land degradation, chemical compounds, and worldwide waters.

GEF supplies grants to international locations to fulfill these challenges while contributing to key improvement targets, akin to meals safety.