IITA DG shares insight at NAM workshop on health-centered climate action

The U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM) recently convened the first in a series of four information-gathering workshops to shape the roadmap for transformative action to achieve health for all at net-zero emissions. Titled “The ‘what’ of systems transformation: Anchoring climate action in health,” the two-day event brought together global experts to explore how health can serve as both a foundation and a catalyst for transformative systems change that reduces emissions, enhances climate resilience, and promotes well-being.

During a session on “Opportunities and challenges for transformative health-centered climate action across high-emitting sectors,” IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, shared insights on agriculture’s pivotal role in the health-climate nexus.

Dr Ehui emphasized that agriculture must be reimagined through a health-focused lens as a major emitter and a sector deeply impacted by climate change. He illustrated how IITA’s climate-smart research is enabling transformative change by developing and scaling better-performing crop varieties. These farmer-preferred crop varieties are resilient to climate shifts, market demands, and evolving production systems.

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