To tackle continued rise in global food demand, fall in productivity and the need to uplift millions still living in hunger, countries with different national contexts and priorities will discuss a range of issues — from unlocking more funds for resilient projects in developing countries to encouraging balanced diets with less meat in rich nations — at a roundtable on food security at the COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday.

The WTO and the WEF will participate in the debate, together with other organisations financial institutions, to bring in institutional perspective on food security.

“Climate change impacts, both extreme weather and slow-onset events, have impacte dseveral sectors of the national economies and activities, in particular agriculture and food production, augmented by other challenges, be it geopolitical, cost of finance or supply-chain related. In a time of increased food insecurity, it is important to have deep discussions on ways to deal with the needed increase in agriculture productivity, shift to resilient agriculture, reduce losses in food production chain including through cooling solutions, and ensure relevant measures are in place for sustained food security and to manage any potential food crisis,” per a note on the round table.

Implementation is the main focus of COP27, which is taking place at Sharm El-Sheik from November 6-18, aimed at addressing climate related transition and transformation through a holistic approach.

“Global food demand continues to grow as the world’s population is expected to hit the mark of 9.6 billion by 2050. Meanwhile, 820 million people are suffering from hunger as of 20211 , whereas climate change continues to have drastic impacts on agricultural lands and livestock productivity,” the note observed.

Developed countries, at the roundtable, could share views on how to encourage more balanced diets and minimise emissions per calorie (for instance, through reducing meat consumption), delivering successes in enhancing agriculture resilience and reducing food losses.

 Developing countries that are suffering the most from decreased yields and weather events could discuss the needed support for scaling resilient agriculture projects, and enhancing livelihoods such as through regenerative agriculture, the note said.

Stressing on the need for more finances, the note stated that relevant international organisations could pinpoint ways to unlock more funds for resilienc eprojects in developing countries, with a contribution from financial institutions and the private sector on the technical solutions to do so. Details such as how to employ de-risking techniques, and which solutions that were employed for other sectors could be brought more into play in the agriculture sector, can be discussed.

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