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FAO at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26
Glasgow, 31 October - 12 November 2021
When world leaders gather for the United Nations United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)<https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/glasgow-climate-change-conference> they will need to confront this hard fact: we only have nine planting seasons left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly those aimed at protecting our environment, mitigating and adapting to climate change and ending hunger and poverty.
This in a context in which around 811 million people are undernourished.
Climate variability and extremes, conflict, and economic slowdowns and downturns, now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, are major drivers of food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty. At the same time, agri-food systems contribute to and are affected by the impacts of the climate crisis, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss.
The challenge the world faces is to produce more food with greater socio-economic benefits and less impact on the environment.
Key to achieving this is green climate and resilient agriculture<https://www.fao.org/3/cb6978en/cb6978en.pdf> based on collaborative partnerships and underpinned by innovation, including digital technologies and indigenous and traditional knowledge, for more efficient, inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems.
To help drive this point home, at COP26 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) will bring its expertise and experience to inform the discussions and help catalyse the urgent transformation needed, for agri-food systems to be part of the solution to the climate crisis.
At COP26, through presentations by its experts and the dissemination of its publications, FAO will outline how the organization works with its members and other partners to address the impacts of the climate crisis in the agricultural sectors.
Detailed information on FAO's participation at the various COP26 events will be made available closer to the date.
Journalists are encouraged to contact us at [log in to unmask]<file:///C:[log in to unmask]> to arrange interviews with FAO experts on a range of COP26 related-themes (in all UN official languages) including:
* How innovation in agriculture is key to tackling climate change across the different dimensions of the production cycle and is complemented with financing, good governance and social acceptance.
* How halting deforestation and increasing forest cover are cost-effective solutions to mitigate climate change, while boosting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.
* How large-scale restoration of agricultural land and degraded soils and the use of agroecological practices, planting locally adapted species and combining local knowledge with adapted technology, are crucial in developing green and climate-resilient farming systems.
* How building resilience to climate-driven changes to water availability requires adaptive water management solutions, including integrated planning, learning-based approaches, and nature-based solutions.
* How cutting emissions from livestock production, in particular methane, by up to 30 percent, livestock systems must be made more efficient through improved feeding, genetics and health. Livestock by-products can be recycled and used where possible as feed, fuel and fertilizer.
* How fisheries and aquaculture while making a minor contribution to global emissions can still offer significant opportunities for decarbonization along the aquatic food value chain.
* How by empowering smallholder farmers and indigenous peoples, agri-food systems are more sustainable and resilient to climate change and knowledge is transferred from one generation to the next.
EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
Journalists are encouraged to contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> to arrange interviews with FAO experts on a range of COP26 related-themes (in all UN official languages)
RESOURCES FOR THE MEDIA
FAO's work on climate change<https://www.fao.org/climate-change/our-work/what-we-do/climate-change-strategy/en/>
FAO's support to countries facing climate change<https://www.fao.org/climate-change/our-work/what-we-do/en/>
FAO's Strategy on Climate Change<https://www.fao.org/climate-change/our-work/what-we-do/climate-change-strategy/en/>
FOLLOW ON TWITTER @FAOClimate #COP26
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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