The COP28 UAE Presidency and the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security, and Agriculture have identified seven shovel-ready innovation areas. These seven areas have the potential to not only help address the impact of climate change on food security and agriculture, but also transform the lives and livelihoods of millions of farmers.

 

Food systems accounts for a third of global emissions, with smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries facing heightened vulnerability to climate change.

 

The COP28 Presidency and the Innovation Commission, supported by COP28’s Scientific Committee for food systems, have identified a preliminary set of innovation areas which have strong evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness, and a plausible pathway to scale. Transitioning these innovations to scale could help millions of farmers adapt to climate change and mitigate emissions from agriculture.

 

This preliminary set of innovation areas includes:

• Improved weather forecasts to help farmers manage increased weather variability and improve agricultural decisions.
• Digital agricultural extension services to provide customized and timely information to farmers at a low marginal cost.
• Climate-responsive social protection programs to help households anticipate weather shocks, overcome extreme poverty, and develop resilience.
• Training to promote rainwater harvesting techniques to help reduce land degradation, increase crop yields, and combat desertification.
• Microbial fertilizers to reduce emissions from synthetic fertilizer production, while helping farmers increase productivity.
• Innovations to reduce livestock methane emissions through improved feeding management, feed additives, and genomic selection.
• Alternative proteins to provide a low-emissions, low-cost, and high-quality source of proteins.
  
  

In consultation with a broad set of experts, COP28 and the Innovation Commission developed concrete investment recommendations. Now, funding commitments are required to scale these seven innovation areas.

 

Innovation funding generates very high social rates of return, particularly when the risk of failure is managed and offset. This Includes focusing large-scale funding towards innovation projects which are backed with rigorous evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness. For example, CGIAR (Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers), which has historically targeted investments towards agricultural innovation in low- and middle-income countries, has an estimated social benefit-cost ratio of 10 to 1.

 

The Innovation Commission is proposing mechanisms and pathways to scale existing high potential innovations, such as those generated by CGIAR and National Research Centers. This process builds on the work of the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), a US-UAE initiative launched at COP26 that unites stakeholders to increase investments and support for climate-smart agriculture and food systems.

 

The COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda seeks to address interconnected challenges of climate change and food systems, including production, consumption, trade, and resilience. Scaling innovative approaches is one means to address some of these challenges.

 

The COP28 Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action-the first of its kind-, invites national governments to align their national food systems and agriculture strategies with their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to achieve the Paris Agreement's long-term goals. In addition, COP28 is working with representatives from every stage of the food system and agriculture value chain, including farmers, civil society, businesses, and local governments to accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture.

 

Contact foodsystems@cop28.com for further information about how you can support these innovation areas and ensure they can be deployed at scale.

 

 

Notes to Editors COP28 UAE:   

 

• COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30-December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors.  

• As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake - a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.  

• The UAE will lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and a “leave no one behind” approach to inclusive climate action.”