The first Climate Adaptation Summit put a spotlight on climate adaptation as a political issue. The virtual meeting united global players with one goal in mind: Building resilience is just as important as climate protection itself.
Jan Rübel is author at Zeitenspiegel Reportagen, a columnist at Yahoo and writes for national newspapers and magazines. He studied History and Middle Eastern Studies.
The agenda has been set. Droughts, scorching heat, massive rainfall and rising sea levels are already impacting nature, cities and food systems all over the world. Adapting to these consequences, mitigating them and figuring out how to move forward – that was the task of the first Climate Adaptation Summit on 25 and 26 January, which was hosted on a virtual platform by the Dutch government because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘If we don’t act now, the aftermath will be disastrous’, Prime Minister Mark Rutte proclaimed at the starting point of the panels. ‘This summit must lead to action.’
The event was attended by more than 30 government leaders, 50 ministers as well as numerous representatives from academia, business and civil society. All in all, 15,000 people registered. Never before has climate adaptation been discussed so prominently at the international level. At the opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a ‘breakthrough’. More specifically: Exactly half of all funds spent internationally on climate protection should be redirected to work on adaptation and resilience. Guterres provided a few examples. ‘All investments must be climate-resilient’, he said, calling for the development of more early warning systems for floods.
In her video message, Angela Merkel promised that Germany would provide a total of 150 million euros to the "Adaptation Fund" in the fight against the consequences of climate change
The surprise guest was John Kerry. The former US Secretary and current climate envoy of the new administration under President Joe Biden said ‘we’re proud to be back’, referring to the past four years under Donald Trump’s administration, who pulled out of the climate agreement. ‘We’re humbly returning after being absent over the past four years and we’ll do everything in our power to make up for it.’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented a video message in which she announced that the German government would provide 50 million euros for the Adaptation Fund with the intent to provide poorer countries with access to financing for climate-related projects. The German government is also offering 100 million euros for the least developed countries. ‘On behalf of Germany, I’m proud to say’, adds Merkel, ‘we will do our part’.
But how can climate adaptation be accelerated? In the panel ‘Accelerating African adaptation’, Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), described adaptation as a global condition for growth. Germany contributed 540 million euros to funding for African regions in 2019, for example through a flood prevention cooperation with the World Bank. ‘Various initiatives are popping up throughout Africa and we’re happy to support them.’ In the same panel, Ibrahim Thiaw from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) made it clear that adaptation and mitigation should not be considered separately. ‘For example, the best mitigation is land recultivation.’ The question of the causative agent of climatological issues was also debated. ‘We must accept that the problem of climate change was not caused by Africa’, says Mithika Mwenda, co-founder of the climate change activist organisation ‘Pan African Climate Justice Alliance’. To him it is evident who is responsible. According to the Kyoto agreement, the industrialised countries had promised to help with money every year. ‘We’re still waiting.’
"For Germany, I can say we're pitching in" - Angela Merkel, German Chancellor
Sigrid Kaag, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, picked up where he left off and called for more focus on the most vulnerable. ‘Communities can handle shock if they’re prepared’, she said. Surveys show that every dollar invested in adaptation generates four to five dollars return; adaptation is thus an economic driver. ‘There’s been a noticeable increase in support over the last five years’, added Daouda Ndiaye, adaptation expert of the Islamic Development Bank. ‘The quality is increasing.’ Nevertheless, he called for more funding in the sector and referred to bilateral funds such as those from Germany.
The CAS is concluding the campaign year of the Global Commission on Adaptation based in the Netherlands. It all started in September 2019 with the UN Climate Change Summit. However, the World Climate Conference had to be postponed until November 2021, and the announcements made by government leaders at the special summit to mark the anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement in December 2020 focused more on climate protection; hence now the focus is on issues of adaptation.
Several speakers suggested focusing on rural populations, since 50 per cent of the world’s food is produced by smallholders. And they are among the worst positioned for climate change. But the focus also remains on cities. After all, the massive trend of urbanisation continues to grow and cities are strongly affected by climate change. The ‘Resilient Cities’ panel was dedicated to this complex issue. Miami’s Mayor Francis Suarez described cities as being on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19, but he noted that they also play a crucial role in trying out adaptation strategies. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, said: ‘We’re running out of time.’ She reported heat waves, floods and heavier rainfall. Jürgen Zattler, Executive Director at the World Bank Group, pointed out that the majority of the world’s population already lived in cities. Good infrastructure management is necessary for this organisational process to work. ‘Urban resilience needs to be reconsidered’, he proclaimed, advocating the One Health approach in this context. That mayors do not suffer from being underworked was documented by Mohammed Adjei, Mayor of Accra. He used his mobile phone to join the CAS. ‘It’s a chaotic situation’, the Ghanaian said to explain the bad connection, adding it was ‘not stable’. ‘All of our activities must comply with climate regulations.’ The metropolis of five million people will soon be a resilient city.
The panel on ‘Agriculture & Food Security’ outlined that entire food systems also need to be adapted to climate change. ‘Hunger has increased over the last five years’, summarised Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Special Envoy to the UN Food Systems Summit. ‘Resilience in food systems also contributes to the conservation of the planet.’ At the CAS, one government leader after another professed that investing in resilience is imperative..
Dirk Schattschneider, Department Head at the BMZ, called for a strategy to tackle future challenges. ‘We can learn a lot from agriculture.’ He emphasised that the planned UN Food Systems Summit this year will be very meaningful. ‘Money isn’t everything’, he said. Funding systems should be revised. It means that politicians must be willing to act – in the North as well as in the South. ‘The private investors will surely follow.’ Calmly, Kalibata uttered perhaps the key phrase of the summit: ‘We can do better.’ The climate issues should not be delegated to future generations. ‘We are facing the greatest opportunities of our lives.’
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From the lab to the masses: Maria Andrade bred varieties of biofortified sweet potatoes which are now widely used all over the continent. She sets her hope on the transformation of African agriculture.
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A contribution by Kerstin Weber and Brit Reichelt-Zolho (WWF)
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Double interview with Tony Rinaudo and Volker Schlöndorff
Tony Rinaudo uses conventional reforestation methods to plant millions and millions of trees – and Volker Schlöndorff is filming a cinema documentary about the Australian. The outcome so far: An educational film on behalf of the BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development).
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Interview with Bernadette Arakwiye und Salima Mahamoudou (World Resources Institute)
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A contribution by Dr. Kathleen Mar and Dr. Nicole de Paula
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, health is receiving unprecedented public and political attention. Yet the fact that climate change is also affecting the environmental and social determinants of health in a profound and far-reaching way deserves further recognition.
A report by Bettina Rudloff and Annette Weber (SWP)
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A report by Alexander Müller and Jes Weigelt (TMG)
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A contribution by Michael Brüntrup (DIE) und Daniel Tsegai (UNCCD)
Droughts are the natural disasters with far-reaching negative consequences. While rich countries are still vulnerable to drought, famines are no longer found.
Climate change is destroying development progress in many places. The clever interaction of digitalisation and the insurance industry protects affected small farmers.
A study by the World Bank predicts that millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa will have to leave their homelands because of climate change. We have spoken with one of the authors
Adaptation to climate change can be achieved by making agriculture more environmentally sustainable – if the rich countries also reduce their emissions
The WWF has published a sensational study on food waste. The focus: farm-stage food waste. Peter McFeely, Global head of communications and strategic planning at WWF, explains what needs to be done.
"One World no Hunger" (SEWOH) becomes one of the five core themes of the BMZ. Dirk Schattschneider, SEWOH Commissioner about previous approaches, future areas of action, and the political will to end hunger.
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Africa's cotton production plays a key role in the fight against poverty. The "Cotton Made in Africa" initiative promotes sustainable cultivation - one element of which is the use of organic pesticides. Entomologist Ben Sekamatte and cotton company manager Boaz Ogola talked with Jan Rübel about soil and yields.
Small farmers in developing countries must modernise their farming methods, but poorly understood reforms could exacerbate poverty instead of alleviating it.
For years, place-based approaches to development have been considered important features in development cooperation, at the BMZ and in FAO. Both organisations are aiming at advancing these approaches: an interview with Adriano Campolina from the FAO on territorial and landscape perspectives.
Companies in Africa that need financing between $20,000 and $200,000 find relatively few investors, as this sector is too large for microcredit and too small for institutional investors. This creates a "gap in the middle" where companies have limited options. A project of the World Resource Institute provides a remedy with the Landaccelerator 2020.
With the help of sustainable farming methods, soils can be preserved and made fertile again. The investment required is also worthwhile from a financial perspective.
Fish is important for combating malnutrition and undernourishment. But it is not only notable for its nutritional value, but also secures the livelihoods and employment for 600 million people worldwide.
African inland fisheries are increasingly reliant on the capture of small fish species that are sundried and traded over long distances. They make an important contribution in alleviating “hidden hunger”: consumed whole, small fish are an important source of micronutrients. Only that, unfortunately, politicians haven’t yet realised this.
What are the consequences of using synthetic pesticides in agriculture? Where do they help, where do they harm? Lena Luig, expert for the development policy organization INKOTA, and science journalist Ludger Weß discuss this controversial topic of international scope.
A contribution by Jes Weigelt and Alexander Müller
What is required to make food systems provide sufficient, healthy food while not harming the planet? How should food security be maintained given the threat posed by climate change? Our authors look at some aspects of tomorrow’s food systems against the backdrop of the corona crisis.
A contribution by Dr. May Hokan and Dr. Arnulf Köhncke (WWF)
Due to the coronavirus crisis, the connection between human and animal health has gained new attention. Politicians and scientists are joining forces to propagate the solution: One Health. But what is behind the concept? And can it also guarantee food security for all people worldwide?
Insect farming is economical and environmentally sustainable, they are high in protein and they live on agricultural waste. Marwa Abdel Hamid Shumo thinks: They are the best weapon to combat hunger
A contribution by Nadine Babatounde and Anne Floquet (MISEREOR)
To prevent malnutrition among young children and strengthen the role of women in their communities, Misereor, together with the local non-governmental organisation CEBEDES, is implementing a programme on integrated home gardens in Benin - a series of pictures.
Stig Tanzmann is a farmer and adviser on agricultural issues at ‘Bread for the World’. Jan Rübel interviewed him about his reservations about AGRA's strategy.
The Cashew Council is the first international organisation for a raw material stemming from Africa. The industry promises to make progress in processing and refining cashew nuts - and answers to climate change
A contribution by Michael Windfuhr (German Institute for Human Rights)
Land rights are no longer governed by the law of the strongest. That is what the international community has agreed to. Governments and private companies have a duty to respect human rights and avoid corruption.
A contribution by Roselyn Korleh and M. Sahr Nouwah (WHH)
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In the tropics rainforests are still being felled for the production of palm oil, meat and furniture. It is high time to act. Proposals are on the table.
A contribution by Emile Frison and Nick Jacobs (IPES-Food)
While having failed to solve the hunger problem, industrial agriculture appears to be causing additional ones both in environmental and health terms. Emile Frison and Nick Jacobs call for a transformation.
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Journalist Jan Rübel spoke with Joao Campari ahead of the UNFSS Pre-Summit. The Chair of Action Track 3 highlights key challenges in transforming existing food systems towards sustainable production and shares his expectations for the Summit.
In this article, the author describes what we know about interlinkages, what role agriculture has to play in the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity, and what the necessary changes in agricultural systems might look like, both on small and large-scale farms.
The oceans are important for our food supply, but they are overfished. To halt this trend the global community is now taking action against illegal fishing. Journalist Jan Rübel spoke with Francesco Marí, a specialist for world food, agricultural trade and maritime policy at "Brot für die Welt," and others.
A contribution by Dr. Karin Gaesing and Prof. Dr. Frank Bliss (INEF)
Especially in densely populated areas, land pressure leads to overexploitation of available land and a lack of conservation measures. The West African country of Benin, with heavily depleted soils in many places, is no exception.
The Federal Government is fine-tuning a law that would require companies to ensure human rights – a supply chain law. What are the consequences for the agricultural sector? Dr Bettina Rudloff from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) discusses linking policy fields with added value.
‘Fair’ and ‘sustainable’ are key words in Germany’s EU Council Presidency. At the same time, Germany pursues ‘modernization’ of the WTO and ‘rapid progress’ on free trade agreements. Are these goals really compatible? Can we be concerned about fairness and sustainability while continuing with ‘business as usual’?
An Interview with Francisco Marí (Brot für die Welt)
Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) did not attend the UNFSS pre-summit. Instead, the organisation took part in a counter-summit that took place at the same time. A conversation with Francisco Marí about the reasons, the process - and an outlook for the future
The United Nations plan a Food Systems Summit - and now the Corona-Virus is dictating the agenda. The Chief Economist of the UN World Food Programme takes stock of the current situation: a conversation with Jan Rübel about pandemics, about the chromosomes of development - and about the conflicts that inhibit them.
African countries still face huge gender gaps in terms of access to work and capital. What are the consequences of Corona for women in Africa? Jan Rübel interviewed Léa Rouanet on lockdowns and gender-based violence. The economist works at the Africa Gender Innovation Lab of the World Bank.
Every year in October, the "Welthungerhilfe" aid organisation, with the Irish "Concern Worldwide" NGO, publishes the Global Hunger Index, a tool with which the hunger situation is recorded. What are the trends - and what needs to be done?
Shortly before ending his position as Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPR) Dr. Shenggen Fan talks about the reforms and new modes of operation needed to achieve global food security in the coming decade.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Podcast of the Federal Government
At the start of World Food Week around World Food Day on 16 October, Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that the fight against global hunger will only be successful with international responsibility and solidarity (german only).
Over a period of two years, the Ceres2030 team spent researching answers to the questions of how much it will how much it will cost to realize SDG 2 and where that money should be spent most effectively. IISD Senior Advisor and Ceres2030 Co-director Carin Smaller about small farmers, machine learning and women empowerment.
The CGIAR agricultural research organization is systematically repositioning itself. We spoke with Juergen Voegele, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, about progress to date - and discuss what needs to be done collectively to stop global hunger in ten years.
The Corona pandemic is hitting economies around the world very hard - but developments in African countries are quite diverse. There are different speeds, resiliences and vulnerabilities. What are the reasons for this? Apl. Prof. Jann Lay of the GIGA Institute provides answers.
Yemen is currently experiencing one of the worst disasters, due to war, hunger and disease outbreaks. The GIZ is locally engaged to improve the nutrition and resilience of Yemenites.
International agricultural research is responding to new challenges: Their advisory group is undergoing a fundamental reform process and unites knowledge, partnerships and physical assets into OneCGIAR.
A contribution by Heike Baumüller, Christine Husmann, Julia Machovsky-Smid, Oliver Kirui, Justice Tambo
Any initiative whose aim is to reduce poverty in Africa should focus first on agriculture. But what kind of investment has the greatest impact? The use of scientific criteria provides some answers.
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A contribution by Sarah D´haen & Alexander Müller, Louisa Nelle, Bruno St. Jaques, Sarah Kirangu-Wissler and Matteo Lattanzi (TMG)
Young farmers’ insights on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa @CovidFoodFuture and video diaries from Nairobi’s informal settlements.
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At the beginning of December 2018, AGRA's board of directors met in Berlin. The "Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa" panel discussed the next steps in their policy of modernizing agriculture. How to go on in the next ten years? One question - many answers from experts.
A study by Markus Hanisch, Agustina Malvido, Johanna Hansmann, Alexander Mewes, Moritz Reigl, Nicole Paganini (SLE)
Post-Covid-19 lockdown: How food governance processes could include marginalised communities - an extract of the results of an SLE study applying digital and participatory methods.
Joe DeVries is a breeder – and Vice President of AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa). What are the chances and risks of a ’green revolution‘ in Africa? A discourse between Jan Rübel and him about productivity, needs, and paternalism.
Urban gardening is becoming increasingly popular in northern metropoles. People who consider themselves part of a green movement are establishing productive gardens in the city, for example on rooftops or in vacant lots. In severely impoverished regions of the global South, urban agriculture is a component of the food strategy.
For about a year now, Dirk Schattschneider has been the commissioner for the special initiative "ONEWORLD No Hunger" (SEWOH) of the BMZ. In the interview, he looks back on the challenges of the past year and at the same time takes a look into the future.
Supporting groups of smallholding women substantially contributes to strengthen rural operations economically. The organisation and associated group activities can help to reduce extreme poverty and improve the food situation.
Chancellor Merkel has begun an ambitious European political programme: Striving for compromise in budget negotiations, an orderly Brexit as well as an appropriate response to the corona crisis. Unfortunately, one of her positions that she previously held is nowhere to be found: Africa's prosperity is in the interest of Europe.
The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) was launched by the G20 countries in 2010 in response to the 2008-09 food price crisis to increase both public and private investment in agriculture. An overview of the programme's approach, results and impact.
Even though COVID-19 poses a threat to the health of humanity, the reaction to the pandemic must not cause more suffering than the disease itself. This is particularly relevant for poor developing countries, where the impact of the corona crisis on food security is even more severe!
In most African countries, the infection COVID-19 is likely to trigger a combined health and food crisis. This means: In order to cope with this unprecedented crisis, consistently aligning our policies to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is more important than ever, our author maintains.
COVID-19 has unprecedented effects on the world. As always, the most vulnerable are the hardest hit, both at home and - especially - abroad. A joint appeal by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) and the Department for International Development (DFID).
The region of Sub-Saharan Africa is on the decisive verge of a great development boost in farming: it could skip entire generations of technological development. But how? About possible roles and potentials of digital services.
A contritbution by Essa Chanie Mussa (University of Gondar)
Rural youth need viable livelihood opportunities to escape out of poverty and realize their aspirations. How could they be helped to fully unleash their potential? This is an aloud call that needs novel strategies among governments, policy makers, and international development partners and donors.
Enabling smallholders to trade across regions and borders promotes food security and economic growth. Although everyone is calling for exactly that, implementation is still difficult
Interview with Paul Newnham, Director of the SDG 2 Advocacy Hub.
The UN Food Systems pre-Summit in Rome dealt with transforming the ways of our nutrition. How do you bring that to a broad public? Questions to Paul Newnham, the Director of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Advocacy Hub.
New insights on trade and value addition in the rice sector in West Africa
Low import tariffs, smuggling activities, unpredictable tax exemptions and weak enforcement of food safety standards: The potential of local rice value chains is undermined in West African countries.
Interview with Martina Fleckenstein (WWF), Michael Kühn (WHH) and Christel Weller-Molongua (GIZ)
After the summit means pre-summit: It was the first time that the United Nations held a summit on food systems. Martina Fleckenstein, Michael Kühn and Christel Weller-Molongua reviewed the situation in this joint interview.
Vitamin-poor nutrition must become more expensive, in-vitro meat is not a panacea, and agricultural systems should be more decentralised. Bioland President Jan Plagge in an interview about the challenge of (future) world nutrition.
