Solution Exchange Forum on Climate Change, Environment & FOOD SECURITY

Humanity faces a serious challenge. Current land, agriculture and food systems as a whole are not viable and will not deliver food security in the medium to long term. The business-as-usual use and management of the terrestrial system (and its interactions with the atmosphere and oceans) do not supplement outcomes for people, food and nature because they erode the very natural capital that fortifies those outcomes. This compromises not only environmental values but also food security, health and poverty eradication. Simply increasing the fertilizer- and pesticide-led production methods of the 20th century is unlikely to address the challenge of food security. It will only increasingly undermine the critical natural inputs and nature-based services for agriculture such as healthy and productive soils, the water and nutrient recycling of forests, and pollinators such as bees and bats.

The Global Green New Deal and the Green Economy Initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), launched in 2008 in response to the food, fuel and financial crises, emphasize, however, that food is very much part of the imperative for transformational economic, social and environmental change. A Green revolution, one with a capital G, is necessary to balance the need for food with the need to manage the ecosystems that underpins sustainable agriculture in the first place.

The Solution Exchange Forum on Climate Change and Food Security is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Dr. Hans Herren President The Millennium Institute 16:00 – 16:25	WELCOME REMARKS & KEYNOTE ADDRESS Chairperson – Dr. Hans Rudolf Herren Dr. Herren received his MSc (Agronomy) and PhD (Biological control) from the Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland. He completed his postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley, Biological Control Division. His main interests and experience are in the area of agriculture and food; ecologically, socially and economically sustainable development. He has hands-on experience in research, capacity development and management of research organizations and more recently at the policy level, to assure that knowledge, science and technology do contribute effectively to sustainable development. He is presently also leading an initiative trough his Bovision Foundation, the Millennium Institute and other partners on “IAASTD Rio+20, time to act”. He has held the following key positions: Millennium Institute (MI) USA: President and CEO since May 2005. MI provides “Development Intelligence” tools (system dynamics models such as the T21) and capacity development services to empower developing countries in the design and ex ante evaluation of their own sustainable development strategies and supporting policies for the medium and long term.  International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) Kenya: Chief Executive and Director General, 1994 - 2004. ICIPE deals with research and capacity development in insect and ecosystem sciences as relevant to human, animal, plant and environmental health in support of sustainable development.  International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Nigeria: Director Biological Control Program 1979 -1991; Director Plant Health Management Division 1992 to 1994. Developed and implemented one of the world’s largest and most successful biological control programs ever carried out, saving over 20 million lives and the livelihood of 200 million people in the African cassava belt. Co-Chair of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) Dr. Herren’s achievements have earned him several awards and distinctions including the Tyler Prize (2003), World Food Prize (1995), and membership of the US National academy of sciences 1999 and the academy of sciences of the Developing world 2005. Dr. Herren has authored over 100 publications, book chapters and given over 300 invited guest lectures and keynote addresses at major conferences, congresses, forums and symposia around the world.
Mr. James Lomax, Agri-Food Programme Officer, UNEP 16:25– 16:30	INTRODUCTION OF PANEL MODERATOR – MR. JAMES LOMAX James Lomax is the Agri-Food Programme Officer in UNEP’s Division of Trade, Industry and Economics based in Paris, France (since 2009). He is a tropical agriculturalist by training and has a background in farming. Before joining UNEP, he had a varied career in the private sector in farming, food processing and export of food in Africa and Europe. In Africa, Mr. Lomax had his own business working with smallholder farmer groups to produce Cat 1 vegetables for the European market and spent many years in the field facilitating training, logistical development and overseeing the introduction and development of sustainability standards. He was also the production director of a large-scale farming business in Southern Europe producing salads and watercress in both conventional and organic production systems. Mr. Lomax is now the lead on sustainable agricultural and food systems in UNEP’s Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch. The main thrust of his work is the FAO/UNEP Sustainable Food Systems Programme which has been developed jointly since 2010 in partnership with FAO. This programme seeks to mainstream sustainable consumption and production practices in the agriculture and food sector through catalyzing public/private partnerships and sustainability activities at national and regional levels as well as on the ground.
Prof Chris Gordon Acting Director, Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana  16:30– 16:50	PROVIA: A NEW KNOWLEDGE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, POLICYMAKERS AND STAKEHOLDERS ON CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY IMPACTS & ADAPTATION ISSUES PROVIA – the Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation is a joint iniative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). PROVIA responds to the call for a more cohesive and coordinated approach to harmonize, mobilize, and communicate the growing knowledge-base on vulnerability, impacts and adaptation. PROVIA's vision is to create an interface between the scientific community and decision makers involved in vulnerability, impacts and adaptation issues, and improve the availability and accessibility of VIA knowledge to users. Together with its collaborative partners, knowledge networks such as the UNEP-led Global Adaptation Network, and the larger VIA community, PROVIA will strive to promote a greater science-policy dialogue while advancing efforts towards identifying research gaps and meeting policy needs in climate change vulnerability, impact and adaptation research. PROVIA provides a unique opportunity to foster south – south collaboration among the VIA community by providing a global platform for creating and sharing south-led solutions to critical issues, especially those linked to food security and challenges in the face of climate change. Prof Chris Gordon Prof Gordon is a Member of Provia’s Steering Committee. He is the Acting Director of the Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana. His area of research includes climate change policy, with a particular specialization in mangroves and coastal systems.
Mr. Vincent Gitz FAO Coordinator, High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition 17:10 – 17:30	CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE Agriculture must simultaneously address three intertwined challenges: ensuring food security; adapting to climate change; and mitigating climate change. These challenges require radical changes to our food systems. FAO has forged the concept of “Climate Smart Agriculture” (CSA), as a way of delivering food security in the era of climate change by adopting appropriate practices, and developing enabling policies and institutions, and mobilizing finance. In order to ensure food and nutrition security and to meet increased demand, production must increase particularly in developing countries. Climate change, both increased variability and slow onset changes, will impact food systems where they are already most vulnerable. Agriculture also needs to contribute towards climate change mitigation. Considering the necessary increase of production, staying within planetary boundaries requires the reduction of emissions per kg of output and to enhance carbon sinks. CSA promotes more efficiency in the use of resources and more resilience to shocks. These two aims of increased efficiency and resilience shall be considered at every scale, from farm to global levels, taking into account environmental, economic and social dimensions. Designing solutions requires an examination of relations between physical, GHG and economic efficiency for each factor (e.g. land, fertilizers, water) at various scales and their effect on the resilience of systems. Examples of successful approaches exist. South-South cooperation is a powerful way to disseminate them. Mr. Vincent Gitz Vincent Gitz (FAO) is the coordinator of the High Level Panel of Experts in Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) of the UN Committee on World Food Security. He holds a PhD from AgroParisTech on land-use and global climate policies for which he was awarded the Prize « Le Monde » de la recherche universitaire. He has a double background in earth sciences and in environmental and development economics, and is a specialist of integrated, multidisciplinary issues and tools for long term decision-making. He has been published in several international journals in the areas of climate change, earth sciences, land-use, energy economics, agriculture and forestry, and integrated modelling. He has conducted several research projects at the French and EU level, and also taught at ParisTech. Vincent Gitz was previously the Adviser (Sustainable Development and Research) to the French Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Michel Barnier (2007-2009). As a researcher he worked for CIRAD (International Cooperation Center in Agricultural Research for Development, 2004-2007) and CIRED (International Research Center on Environment and Development, 2000-2003), and with the Energy Planning Program of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro on integrated assessment of low-carbon land-use and bio-energy policies for development in Brazil.
Mr. Bob Kakuyo, Coordinator,  South-South Cooperation, UNEP 17:30 – 17:50	UNEP’S SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION EXCHANGE MECHANISM UNEP has developed a South-South Cooperation Exchange Mechanism The Exchange Mechanism will be officially launched in 2012, and will be the first interactive knowledge-sharing platform of its kind specifically dedicated to South-South Cooperation in the field of environment and sustainable development. The Exchange Mechanism will function to raise the profile of environmental South-South Cooperation. It will feature a variety of case studies and case stories that importantly distill lessons learned and best practices in environmental South-South Cooperation. It will feature groundbreaking projects and initiatives advanced not only by UNEP, but by other UN agencies, and key environmental and multilateral organizations. The Exchange Mechanism will be showcased, highlighting some of the novel case studies and case stories that the UNEP South-South Cooperation team has recently covered. Mr Bob Kakuyo Bob Kakuyo has 30 years of international experience in environment and natural resource management. He is the Coordinator of South-South Cooperation within UNEP, and has been working with UNEP since 1990. His extensive experience includes the development and application of methodologies and tools for integrated environmental assessments, reporting, capacity development and environmental information networking. Between 2002 and 2005, Bob worked in the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada, implementING CBD’s programme of work on national and thematic reporting on measures undertaken to implement the Convention, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. Prior to joining UNEP, Bob worked with the IUCN on significant natural resources conservation projects and programmes for several African countries. Bob’s career in environment and natural resources management began in the private sector in the late 1970s where he specialized in environmental monitoring, assessments and management, land use planning, rural and agricultural development as well as rangeland and wildlife protected area management. Bob’s academic background is in conservation biology.
Mr. Odoi Othieno  Senior Trade Promotion Officer, Uganda Export Promotion Board 16:50– 17:10	THE ROLE OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN UGANDA AS A SOUTH-SOUTH SOLUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY Organic agriculture offers a valuable solution to the challenges of food security and climate change particularly in its promotion of more sustainable forms of agricultural production. Over the last 20 years, Uganda has made significant strides in promoting organic agriculture. It is now provides a centre of knowledge for other developing countries including Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya and Nigeria, and is extending its technical support in the spirit of South-South Cooperation. As a solution, organic agriculture is easily replicable in the developing countries, particularly in Africa. Importantly, replication does not require expensive technological investment, but practical demonstrations. Organic agriculture is inherently adaptable to the African rural setting. Mr. Odio Othieno Mr. Odoi holds a MBA degree from Makerere University in Kampala. He obtained his first degree in Arts (Economics & Political Science) Degree in 1989 from Makerere University before pursuing a Post-Graduate Diploma at the International Management Institute in India. He worked with Ministry of Commerce of the Republic of Uganda for 9 years as Commercial Officer prior to joining the Uganda Export Promotion Board where he now works as a Senior Trade Promotion Officer. He has extensive experience in the fields of trade policy, strategy design, formulation, and trade negotiations, and is currently a member of National Trade Negotiation Team for Uganda. Mr. Odoi has a wide international exposure from 21 different countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Dr. Bumil Kim, President Canaan Farmers School, Republic of Korea Prof Jangsaeng Kim, Yonsei University Canaan Farmers School, Republic of Korea 17:50 – 18:10	A New Paradigm of International Development from the Korean Perspective – The Canaan Movement, and Overseas Examples in Uganda and the Philippines Established in 1931, the Canaan Farmers School movement played a crucial role in teaching national pride to the Korean public, stimulating them to work for poverty eradication through agriculture. The movement later evolved into a social movement, encompassing every aspect of life, especially through practical vocational training. It was also adapted as the role model for New Village Movement (Saemaeul Undong) Education, which constituted a core component of New Village Movement that revolutionized Korea’s economy and industry in the 1960’s through 1970s. Since 1980, Canaan Farmers School has raised overseas leaders who are equipped pioneering mindset, alternative technology, and natural farming knowledge. In Bangladesh, the Philippines, Uganda, Myanmar, Rwanda, Indonesia, India and China, where the Canaan Farmers School has been raising leaders, there are visible results in leadership development, sustainable community development, and income generation without any aid. Dr. Bumil Kim & Prof Jangsaeng Kim Dr. Bumil Kim has served Canaan Farmers School as a core member, teacher and president since 1953. Prof. Jangsaeng Kim obtained master degree from Emory University in U.S.A. and Geneva University in Switzerland and his doctoral degree from Frankfurt University in Germany. Since 2006 he has been serving Canaan Farmers School as a planning coordinator and also he teaches international development at Yonsei University. He is specialist in the area of community capacity development through HRD in LDC.
18:10– 18:30	CHAIRPERSON: GENERAL DISCUSSION & WRAP-UP

For further information on the Solution Exchange Forum on Climate Change, Environment & Agriculture, please contact: Akefety Mamo at Akefetey.Mamo@unep.org