The CGIAR at COP15: Putting Agricultural Solutions to Work

Throughout 2009, the CGIAR and others have worked hard to carve out a place for agriculture in ongoing climate change negotiations. A series of events taking place at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen during 7-18 December will drive the point home.

Addressing government negotiators and others attending the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the CGIAR and key partners will make the case that, while agriculture is part of the problem - contributing about 14 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions and accounting for most of the 19 percent contributed by deforestation - it must also be part of the solution.

Putting agricultural and environmental solutions to work, especially in the developing world, will require major investments in adaptation to the impacts of climate change as well as in improved forestry and other land uses that can significantly mitigate emissions. Such investments will at the same time represent vital contributions to strengthening food security and reducing poverty.

CGIAR events involving individual Centers as well as collective efforts through the new Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) Challenge Program will reinforce those and other messages at COP15.

A group of communicators from the CGIAR and partner organizations will ensure that key events are covered by the mass media, complemented by active reporting through social media, particularly Twitter and a CGIAR blog called Rural Climate Exchange . In addition, just after COP15, a comprehensive summary of CGIAR participation will take the place of this preliminary announcement in the form of an updated CGIAR "story of the month."

One key event to keep track of during COP15 will be Agriculture and Rural Development Day , to be held on Saturday, December 12. Bringing together policy makers, climate negotiators, rural development experts, farmers, and agricultural and climate change scientists, the event will focus on "the road after Copenhagen: priority strategies and actions for ensuring food security and rural development in the face of climate change." Consisting of keynote plenary presentations, roundtable discussions and an "ideas marketplace, the day's discussions will result in a work plan for incorporating agriculture into the post-Copenhagen agenda. Agriculture and Rural Development Day is being sponsored by a large consortium of organizations, which includes the CGIAR, the Alliance of the CGIAR Centers and the CCAFS Challenge Program.

Another event to keep an eye on will be Forest Day 3, which promises to attract about a thousand or more participants, as have Forest Days 1 and 2, reflecting keen interest to examine the issues that link forests with global climate change.

Taking place on Sunday, December 13, Forest Day 3 will be hosted by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and the Government of Denmark. The organizers hope to build on the success of Forest Days 1 and 2 in helping to ensure that forests remain high on the agenda for a future climate agreement.

Toward that end, after the opening plenary, Forest Day 3 will proceed with parallel sessions, each featuring a panel of leading thinkers, aimed at providing an overview of policy issues as well as new scientific findings related to the role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Those discussions will be followed by "learning events" that explore in greater depth some of the key issues raised in the parallel sessions, while addressing questions about the practical implementation of Copenhagen outcomes.

On Monday, December 14, the organizers of ARDD and Forest Day 3 will come together for an event designed to emphasize the commonalities between two sectors that have sometimes been at odds. At an official side event, the outcomes of both days will be merged to make the case that agriculture and forestry are part of the solution to climate change and must figure importantly in negotiations following COP15.

CGIAR communicators will be reporting on other events at COP15 as well, including one on climate change and food security, which is being organized for Thursday, December 10, by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Oceans Day, to be held on Monday, December 14.