Food Security & Climate Change and the role of private companies

9 November 2015. Brussels. Mission of Switzerland to the EU. With a special focus on the example of Africa, this Partners in Dialogue tackled these questions and offered insight into specific projects dealing with this complex issue.

Climate change is already having a negative impact on food security, affecting agriculture, major crops, livestock production and fisheries. There is a growing awareness of the urgent need to adapt current food systems to a changing climate, in order to feed the growing population in a sustainable manner. To achieve this in practice, agricultural productivity needs to increase alongside better food systems efficiency and protection of ecosystems.

How can Europe, Switzerland and the international community face the challenges posed by climate change to agriculture and food security? How can public policies stimulate progress on green growth in the agricultural sector more effectively? What more can the private sector do to synergize climate change and food security action?

Panel discussion: (from left to right on the picture)

• Moderator Mr Ewald Wermuth ECDPM Director
• Ms Gerda Verburg, Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Food and Nutrition Security (WEF) 
• Ambassador Pio Wennubst, Assistant Director General, Head of the Global Cooperation Department at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) 
• Dr Karen Cooper,  Nutrition and Sustainability, Nestlé 
• Dr Roberto Ridolfi,  Director Directorate C - Sustainable Growth and Development, DG DEVCO 

Resources:

09/11/2015 Concept NotePartners in DialogueLinking Food Security and Climate Change: what role for the private sector? , ECDPM, 9 pages

Extract: (page 8) Can development partners do more for sustainable agriculture as part of their ‘private sector for development’ (PSD) approaches? How can PSD effectively differentiate and support companies of different kind, size, and location in the greening of agriculture? What can donors do to address the concerns about the fact that their initiatives to involve investors from their own countries in African agriculture is used as self-interested ‘economic diplomacy’ at the expense of sustainable development objectives? Can this debated be depolarised through better evidence-based public-private dialogue? 

05/11/2015 Knaepen, H., Torres, C., Rampa, F. 2015. Making agriculture in Africa climate-smart: From continental policies to local practices. (Briefing Note 80). ECDPM Maastricht, 19 pages

Extract: Investing in climate-sensitive agriculture is an opportunity for the private sector to make sustainable profits. But governments and financial partners should create an enabling environment and provide financial incentives to mitigate risks especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs can better address opportunities in local markets and can better adapt climate smart technologies to local markets.