5th December - Thematic Day
BOOST
5th December - Thematic Day
BOOST
Thematic Day Hosts:
BOOST soil health
9.30–10.30 +4 GMT
Activating and enabling Soil as a Strategic Tool
Soil, often overlooked, is a strategic tool to improve climate resilience, food security, carbon capture and storage, and a highly biodiverse asset for all who walk upon it. Improving its health is of paramount importance. Its role as a fundamental natural resource cannot be overstated. But how do we activate soil as a strategic tool to deliver on its potential? What policies, financial mechanisms and soil data could activate the multiple benefits that soil could yield?
11.00–12.00 +4 GMT
Regenerative Agriculture: Integrating Technologies, Practices, and Education for Holistic and Sustained Climate Action
With rising hunger and the impacts of climate change intensifying, there’s a pressing need for solutions. Regenerative agriculture stands out, emphasising enhanced food production, climate action, land restoration (including soil health, biodiversity enhancement and water infiltration), and improved farmer livelihoods.
12.30–13.30 +4 GMT
Financing food and land use systems: where are we and how can we move forward?
We are simply not leveraging the scale of financing needed to transform food systems and deliver the Paris Agreement and SDGs. Moving to hope, this event will bring together experts from the finance space for an interactive brainstorm on what needs to be done to unlock the funding necessary for food systems transformation on the road to COP30.
Featuring a series of high-level interventions, this event will examine the state of play of food systems finance and explore a variety of innovative mechanisms that could be used to invest in the transition. It will touch on the role of repurposing subsidies, blended finance models for forests, the role of commercial banks and investors, as well as the innovative packages being considered by development-finance institutions.
This event is hosted by the FOLU in partnership with the Center for Global Commons of the University of Tokyo and the Blended Finance Task Force.
14.00–15.00 +4 GMT
Common Ground: Soil health for Nature, People and Climate
Healthy soil is the very foundation of our food systems and provides several vital ecosystem services, from carbon sequestration to improving food and nutrition security. Efforts to combat desertification, to move from scarcity to prosperity, will need to consider how to scale soil health, globally. With over one third of the Earth’s surface degraded and over 3.2 billion people negatively affected by degradation, continuing business as usual is no longer an option. The urgent need to transform our food systems has never been more critical. Now is the time for multi-stakeholder action to build an enabling environment at multiple levels for supporting, financing, scaling and monitoring healthy soil ecosystems.
The session “A Call to Action: Scaling Soil Health for Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action” aims to spotlight the pivotal role of soil health in reshaping agricultural practices, ensuring food security, and combating climate change and biodiversity loss.
15.30–16.30 +4 GMT
Roadmaps to change: Collaborative partnerships to advance sustainable and productive agriculture while reducing emissions
The dynamic interplay of food security, soil and water health, climate resilience and biodiversity outcomes within the agricultural sector relies on private and public sector partnerships, programs, and policies. As agriculture-related policies and targets are set, it is essential that all parties collaborate and co-invest in long-term, science-based strategies that support a systems-based approach. Hear from value chain partners, working directly with farmers and governments, on what the challenges and opportunities are in a complex web of understanding where we are at, and where we need to get to. Speakers will highlight agriculture initiatives that have proven sustainable outcomes with measurable impact. The session transcends borders, offering universally applicable insights for scaling agri-food value chain solutions, fostering a resilient, sustainable global food system.
17.00–18.00 +4 GMT
Securing Sustainable Harvests: what growers need for long-term climate resilience
Tackling the global decline of soil health is closely linked with our capacity to produce enough food for a growing population on a warming planet. Join our panel where we will discuss how policy can support the required innovations and solutions for farmers to face these challenges.
18.30–19.30 +4 GMT
Empowering Women Smallholder Farmers: Fostering Production and Climate Resilience with Sustainable Innovations
This event will engage COP27 participants in dialoguing on various sustainable and resilient agricultural innovations. One significant area of sustainable innovation in Africa’s smallholder farming sector is the use of climate-smart agricultural practices. Sustainable innovation in Africa also involves the incorporation of digital technologies and data-driven solutions. Mobile applications, precision agriculture tools, and remote sensing technologies help farmers access real-time information on weather patterns, market prices, and best agricultural practices. This information enables farmers to make informed decisions, reduce risks, and optimize their production.
The event will address climate change’s uneven impact on women smallholder farmers and, promote innovative solutions to enhance their contribution to food production and resilience. By focusing on sustainable practices, technological innovations, and capacity-building initiatives, the event seeks to amplify the voices and agency of women farmers. Through expert panels, case studies, and interactive discussions, the event will underscore the pivotal role women play in sustainable agriculture and offer insights into policies and strategies that can be adopted globally.
