World Geostrategic Insights interview with Dr. Zitouni Ould-Dada on how to make the agrifood systems more resilient and environmentally sustainable, the progress made, the situation in Africa, the engagement of FAIRR, and the expectations for COP29 and COP30
Dr. Zitouni Ould-Dada is a Senior Advisor at FAIRR, Sustainable investment in agrifood systems. He has 27 years’ international experience working with the United Nations and the governments of United Kingdom and France in high profile policy areas including climate change, food security, energy security, and sustainable development. His diplomatic leadership and achievements in the climate negotiations contributed to the historic 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. In his last position as Deputy Director of the UN-FAO, he played a leading role in emphasising the importance of addressing the climate-food crisis and advancing the transformation of global agri-food systems.
Q1 – Climate change affects agriculture while agriculture is also a major driver of climate change. Agrifood systems contribute about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and without climate action it is estimated that global crop yields could decline by up to 30 percent by 2050. How can agrifood systems be made more resilient and sustainable, capable of reducing emissions while ensuring global food security?
A1 – The current agri-food systems are unsustainable because they are failing to properly feed and nourish people and operate within environmental boundaries. There is a growing recognition that agrifood systems need to be radically transformed to become more efficient, sustainable and resilient to deliver healthy and nutritious diets for everyone and to ease pressure on our natural resources. If we want to be able to provide the growing world population with sufficient and healthy food in the future, then we must adopt new approaches and practices to ensure efficient, healthy and sustainable agri-food systems for the future.
The world is continuing to grow, process and consume food in ways that continue to cause health and environmental damages when we know that we have the solutions to change this. The world is failing to end hunger and malnutrition and combat the climate and biodiversity loss crises. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. The levels of hunger around the world haven’t changed much in the last few years and we still have about 9% of the world population affected by hunger. The world is going in the wrong direction. There is an increasing recognition that climate change poses a major system threat to our food security. In fact, the IPCC highlighted at the higher end of temperature increase projections, up to 34% of existing areas for crops and livestock production will be unsuitable by the end of the century. Moreover, natural ecosystem services like pollination are vital to securing our food supplies.
We need to look at agri-food systems from a “solutions lens” because of their significant mitigation potential and ability to considerably decrease their pressure on natural resources. I am currently working as a senior advisor with FAIRR, an over 70 trillion investor network that is helping investors address these risks within their portfolios, as well as focusing on the policy drivers and solutions. Climate-smart and innovative practices can help reduce emissions, sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes for farmers, and build resilience to climate change. Practices such as climate smart agriculture, nature-based solutions and agro-ecology are an essential part of the overall global response to climate change and biodiversity loss. Precision farming means applying exactly the right amount of water, energy and other inputs, like fertilisers, to increase efficiency and reduce waste. We must place farmers at the centre of this transition journey and deliver a “just” transition of agrifood systems that works for everywhere and for nature.
Q2 – Attention to climate change and agriculture has been rising in the international climate agenda and there is now a growing recognition of the vulnerability of agrifood systems to climate change as well as the potential they hold for providing solutions for climate action. How much progress has been made recently in the international climate conferences (COPS) towards transitioning into sustainable and resilient agrifood systems?
A2 – We’ve made good progress since COP26 in Glasgow in acknowledging the linkages between agrifood systems and climate change and we have maintained the momentum which later made agrifood systems’ transformation a core topic at COP28. As a result, several decisions were made at COP28 recognizing the vulnerability of agrifood systems to climate change, as well as the potential they hold for providing solutions for the climate crisis. This included, and for the first time, the signing of a “Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action” by 160 governments committing to transform their agrifood systems. More than 200 non-State actors including businesses, financial institutions, farmers, civil society and philanthropies have also signed the ‘Call to Action for Transforming Food Systems for People, Nature, and Climate’, committing to take actions to transform food systems. A new “Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation” was formed by Brazil, Cambodia, Norway, Rwanda and Sierra Leone aimed at helping reorient policies and investment priorities to transform their national food systems and build on the progress of the Declaration.
We have seen continued global political and policy commitments on food systems’ transformation at various events held this year such as at London Climate Action Week, Africa Food Systems Forum, New York Climate Week, and G20 meetings including the launch of the Global Alliance on Hunger and Poverty by the G20 Brazilian Presidency. This is all good, but we can only transform agri-food systems if we translate all these commitments and pledges into policies and investment opportunities that would bring positive changes and benefits to farmers, consumers and nature.
Q3 – Climate change continues to threaten food security in Africa while hunger is on the rise. It is projected that by 2030, about 53 percent of the global population facing hunger will be concentrated in Africa. Is Africa making good progress and receiving sufficient international climate finance to build climate-resilient agrifood systems and end hunger?
A3 – Africa is a continent facing a combination of challenges including climate change, food insecurity, malnutrition, and debt, but it also has massive potential given its abundant natural resources, fertile lands and young population. There is still 1 in 5 people in Africa facing hunger and the trend is not improving as hunger is on the rise and agricultural production is expected to drop by at least 20 percent in Africa by 2050. Child malnutrition is still a significant challenge in many African countries. It is estimated that globally 582 million people will be chronically undernourished at the end of the decade, more than half of them in Africa.
One particularity about agri-food systems in Africa is that they are heavily underinvested as African governments invest less than 10 percent of their budgets in the agricultural sector. These agri-food systems are also predominantly made up of smallholder farmers and SMEs, who are not being reached by current global financial instruments. Women’s access to financing is even more limited. There could be a particularly important role for concessional financing, including blended financing and international development banks in addressing these issues.
There are many pathways for Africa to accelerate its agrifood systems transformation including by empowering its small holder farmers, de-risking investments, and engaging its youth. Innovation in knowledge, technology and finance is an essential pathway for Africa’s journey towards sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agri-food systems. The scale of transformation needed for Africa’s agri-food systems however requires massive investments in sustainable agricultural practices to feed its citizens while combating climate change and protecting its natural resources. As highlighted in the 2023 Africa Agriculture Status Report, empowering African food systems requires a multi-faceted approach including knowledge, technology, innovation, trade, and financing. The recent 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum held in Rwanda also concluded that Africa would need strong political will and investments to transform its agrifood systems. As I explain in my recent paper Transforming Africa from a “continent of challenges” into a “continent of solutions”, Africa is blessed with a wealth of natural and human resources and has a great opportunity to become food secure and build a resilient future for current and future generations.
Q4 – Investors play a key role in scaling up solutions to help advance the transition towards a net-zero future. However, attracting investments can be challenging given that agrifood systems are exposed to a multitude of climate and nature related risks. In your current role as Senior Advisor to the FAIRR Initiative, how is FAIRR being engaged in advancing the transformation of agrifood systems?
A4 – The FAIRR Initiative is a collaborative investor network that raises awareness of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities in the global food sector. FAIRR provides investors with the data, research and tools they need to minimise these risks across the food value chain. We cannot transform agri-food systems without attracting and de-risking investments. Investors do now acknowledge the financially material risks to which the agrifood systems are exposed such as from climate change, biodiversity loss, malnutrition, and antimicrobial resistance. They are increasingly aligning their portfolios to address climate and nature risks. This is why a group of FAIRR investors, representing over US$18 trillion in combined assets, called on FAO to develop a global roadmap to 2050 with clear targets and milestones that can help investors mitigate these risks and align their portfolios with the net zero goal.
We need a roadmap that is aligned with the Paris Agreement and biodiversity goals that would give a clear direction of travel on how the transition to sustainable and resilient global agri-food systems can be achieved by governments, farmers and investors. With clarity and certainty of policy, the roadmap would give confidence to investors to mobilise capital, align their portfolios, and pursue long-term strategies to enable the transition to a sustainable and resilient global agrifood system. FAIRR has been actively engaged with FAO and other key stakeholders to deliver this much needed roadmap. FAIRR is also engaged more globally in the climate-nature-food agenda, such as in the upcoming climate COP29 and COP30 to explore opportunities in supporting governments to integrate food into their Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs) under the climate change agreement and to adopt policies for sustainable and resilient practices.
Q5 – While at FAO you were instrumental in raising the importance of the climate-food link at the international stage and successful at helping to drive forward the agrifood systems’ transformation agenda. What do you expect COP29 and COP30 would achieve that would further help the world to transition towards sustainable and resilient agrifood systems?
A5 – There are many opportunities over the next fifteen months for the world to show some real progress towards agri-food systems’ transformation. First countries need to start integrating agrifood systems into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). This means that by COP30 in Brazil next year, countries should develop ambitious climate action plans with specific goals and policies on how they plan to transform their agri-food systems. By then, we may also have a clearer global roadmap, or various roadmaps, that help to set a clearer direction of travel to enable governments, farmers, investors and others to achieve this transition.
We need to connect various policy agendas together to strengthen synergies so we can deliver multi-sectoral solutions and multiple benefits from the sustainable use of resources such as land, energy, water, and food. There is a great opportunity for the host countries of the upcoming 3 Rio Conventions COPs – i.e. Colombia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia – to show coherence and collaboration on a joined agenda that puts food on centre stage at the upcoming international conferences. We need three main things to happen to ensue. First, we need strong political will to raise ambition and translate the various commitments and declarations into action on the ground. Second, related to a ‘just’ transition, we need to put farmers at the centre of this transition journey and support and empower the most vulnerable such as smallholder farmers. Third, we need to get investors on board by putting in place clear policies and regulations that attract and de-risk investments.
Dr. Zitouni Ould-Dada – Senior Advisor at FAIRR, Sustainable investment in agrifood systems.
Image Source: fao.org