Deborah Phelan
November 19: As climate talks continued at COP 19 and climate activists took to the streets of Warsaw to demand an end to business as usual, the first Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) debuted at the University of Warsaw this past weekend, a two day conference to promote a novel holistic approach to addressing climate change, while meeting the need to sustainably feed 9 billion people by 2050.Fast on the heels of Rio+20 and the report of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda which proposes twelve global goals for sustainable development, the GLF attracted hundreds of participants (world leaders, policymakers, scientists, donors, the private sector, indigenous and community groups, and climate negotiators) to participate in discussions on how agriculture and forestry – which contribute up to one third of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) – can collaborate to design and implement solutions which surpass traditional sector-specific approaches.
Peter Holmgren, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), who moderated Saturday’s opening plenary, identified four themes for the conference:
• Investing in sustainable landscapes in forests and on farms;
• Landscapes policy and governance for forestry, agriculture and other land uses;
• Synergies between adapting to and mitigating climate change in forest and agricultural landscapes; and
• Landscapes for food security and nutrition.
Fuelled by Saturday’s announcement that the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) will not be including agriculture on this year’s agenda, (Read Why aren’t climate negotiators listening to 1.4 billion farmers?), World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development, Rachel Kyte, lamented the lack of communication between COP negotiators, researchers, and environmental and agricultural ministers.
While negotiators might not yet realise the link between the landscape approach and food security and mitigation, ‘it’s not too late to get agriculture and forests incorporated into the Post-2015 sustainable development goals,’ said Kyte.
The ‘landscape approach’ significantly shifts how policy and science are applied to address climate change and stresses the integral need to level the playing field when it comes to the equality of voices involved in the process of planning and decision-making.
The link between forestry and agriculture is key, as the two sectors collectively employ billions of people, workers who produce all of our natural food and fibres and contribute 10 per cent of our biomass energy. Engaging all stakeholders – from the small farmer or cattle rancher to the investment bankers, governments and NGOs – is vital to designing resilient interconnected systems which maintain biodiversity, support ecosystems and ensure a sustainable and safe water supply.
‘First off, we think of a “landscape” as a socio-ecological system – a mosaic of natural and/or human-modified ecosystems, influenced by the ecological, historical, economic, and cultural processes and activities of the area,’ explain EcoAgriculture Partners Sara J. Scherr, Seth Shames, and Rachel Friedman.
One of the most significant topics of the Forum was the role of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) within the landscape paradigm.
CSA strengthens resilience by improving crop productivity and farmers’ incomes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, experts explain. Employing techniques such as crop rotation, mulching, integrating crop-livestock management and improving water management, CSA also incorporates innovative weather forecasting technologies.
Speaking on Climate-Smart Agriculture at the GLF on Sunday, World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director for Hunger Solutions, Sheila Sisulu, stressed the need ‘to focus on people, to be close to people because we cannot be smart without them … they are central to landscapes.’
With over half of the world’s population experiencing some form of malnutrition, Sisulu said she fears the sustainable development goals will not sufficiently address food security and stressed the need for farmers in Africa and India to shift to Climate-Smart Agriculture.
More info: Hosted at the University of Warsaw with Poland’s Ministry of the Environment and Ministry Agriculture and Rural Development, The Global Landscape Forum was coordinated by CIFOR, CGIAR and CCAFS. Visit the website for more information on other participating organisations and partners.
About the author: Deborah Phelan is a veteran reporter who currently blogs on Climate Change for Daily Kos. She is a member of the Earth Island delegation at COP19 – Source: Outreach magazine.
