EMBRACE sustainable water and aquatic blue food diversity for climate smart food systems

Both water and blue foods have been undervalued and overlooked in conversations about climate change and food security at both global and national levels. This plenary session will be setting the theme for the entire day by highlighting the importance of incorporating blue foods and water into food systems policy and decision making, with particular emphasis on their incorporation in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Action Plans (NAPs).

This session aims to highlight the importance of blue foods for small-scale fishing communities and vulnerable populations, especially women and children. We will hear directly from small-scale fishers and aquaculturists about the current contributions of blue foods to their community’s food security and nutrition, and how they are adapting to climate change’s effects on essential sources of nutrition and livelihoods. We will also hear from a leading scientist in this field who will share a summary of the mounting evidence that aquatic foods could be key to meeting food and nutrition goals in the face of climate change in coastal countries around the world, as well as a summary of the challenges we must overcome to enable this.

Aquatic blue foods and water systems have enormous potential to contribute to achieving net-zero emissions from food systems and to support food security and livelihoods globally through provision of key micronutrients and protein to some of the most climate change vulnerable and food insecure communities in the world. Although climate change creates significant risks to the nutritional, economic, and cultural contributions of water and aquatic food systems, management reforms could mitigate many of the negative impacts of climate change. This session will bring several policy-makers and funders to discuss successful governance and management interventions for aquatic foods and water at the international, national, state, and local levels.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for resilient water and sustainable blue food systems, This panel will underscore the need for a multi-pronged approach to achieve goals for climate-resilient water and blue food systems. We will highlight a series of cutting-edge innovations and technologies from both sectors to improve the sustainability of water and blue foods while ensuring global food and nutrition security in the face of climate change. 

If we are to be successful in transitioning our food systems at the pace and scale required, it will be thanks---in large part---to the farmers and producers who made it happen. Community engagement, activation and leadership must be central to the myriad global transition approaches. Join us to discuss the centrality of community-led approaches, as well as some of the best practices – and even a few lessons learned – from panelists with experience the world over.

Climate change is exacerbating water scarcity around the world posing greater risk to food security. In this session, voices from different countries (farmers, implementers) will share their challenges and approaches to adapt to limited water availability in terms of quantity but also quality for different needs. Participants will further discuss institutional fabric required at various levels of government (community, county and state) and need for a regulatory function to avoid adverse effects of productive uses on water availability.

This interactive session will explore multi-level water data needs and approaches for putting it to use. Date needs for decision making vary for functions and at different scales among users, from the farm to the river basin, from landowner to regulator. After spotlights on challenges and initiatives in different countries, the session will feature a participatory discussion to formulate water data related issues and takeaways. Topics covered will include democratization of data, institutional landscape, community engagement, and monitoring to create sustainable water and food systems.

This session will share insights and lessons learned from Egypt-Netherlands cooperation on Climate and Water Smart Agriculture. Based on Dutch-diamond knowledge exchange, the session will validate and explore options for future cooperation on food systems knowledge and innovation to inspire climate and water smart practices, technologies and business cases to contribute to the FAST Initiative launched by the COP27 Presidency in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The race to zero is on, and we know it needs to be done. But the question is how do we get there? Aquaculture already has a low carbon footprint, but continuous improvements need to be made to meet growth needs and ensure it remains a climate-friendly option. The changes required are across the global supply chain, and affect the whole industry. Recognizing that collective efforts could help accelerate change, over the last year the Global Salmon Initiative has been working in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and Sustainable Trade Initiative to establish a common GHG emission accounting framework for the whole aquaculture sector from pen to plate. Prioritizing stakeholder collaboration and shared learning, this project is focused on establishing aligned, credible accounting and motivating ambitious mitigation efforts. Here we will discuss how its worked, what's been achieved and what this could mean for the wider food system.

Do you want to provide advice and feedback into recommendations for how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should support the transformation of food systems in the face of climate change? Please join USAID and experts drafting a key report that will inform USAID’s agriculture, nutrition, and food security Do you want to provide advice and feedback into recommendations for how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should support the transformation of food systems in the face of climate change? Please join USAID and experts drafting a key report that will inform USAID’s agriculture, nutrition, and food security work on Monday, November 14th at 6:25 pm EET (11:25 EST). This listening session will seek input from COP attendees and the wider public on the preliminary findings of a study on systemic approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation in agricultural, nutrition, and food systems. The study results will inform program and policy decisionmaking by USAID.

Join us from 19:15 - 20:15 on November 14th to close out the day with an overarching review of the day's events, main themes, and a reflection on the Food Systems Pavilion thus far. Refreshments will be served and there will be opportunities for discussion and mingling.