(Mitchell Zoratti at Conference in Quebec City/CCA)
In late April into early May CCA’s Environment and Sustainability Manager, Larry Thomas, and Environment and Climate Change Coordinator, Mitchell Zoratti, participated in the International Symposium on Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Food Security held in Quebec City and co-hosted by the Government of Quebec, University Laval, the Secretariat to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The objectives of the Symposium were to 1) share and disseminate experiences in the protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in agriculture; 2) identify the constraints and opportunities for further integrating biodiversity into agri-food systems, considering the challenges of climate change and land degradation; and 3) contribute to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Further, these discussions would lead the development of a “Technical Roadmap” to help stakeholders in agri-food systems implement the KMGBF through agriculture. The document would enable participants to share concrete recommendations with their respective organizations and will equip them to implement promising actions and measures.
A key takeaway of this event was the noticeable presence of farmers and ranchers. One third of participants were farmers of some kind, coming from over 30 different countries. The messages reiterated from FAO, CBD, Laval, the government of Quebec, country Ministers, panelists, and others was unanimously that farmers must be recognized for their beneficial contributions to food security, biodiversity, and climate change; and that farmers need to be engaged with decision-makers. If you are not at the table, you are on the menu. Also important was hearing that the economic model for food security cannot be left behind when discussing the environment, climate change, or biodiversity. Profitability is a key factor in producer decision making and must be considered if/when you are to implement national and regional policies or adopt sustainable practices.
On the third day, the Technical Roadmap was finalized. This document is designed to assist stakeholders in agri-food systems in implementing the KMGBF through agriculture. It aims to present clearly and concisely the proposed courses of action regarding the opportunities, constraints, and challenges to be addressed as a priority. The Technical Roadmap offers concrete recommendations that can be integrated into the strategies and actions of organizations. These recommendations aim to strengthen collective advocacy for shared actions to promote sustainable agriculture, preserve biodiversity, and ensure food security for all. You can read the Technical Roadmap HERE.
Although there was lots of talk about cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder, and interdepartmental collaboration, it’s important to note that Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) was not present at this International Symposium. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada was present and productive conversations were had with representatives.
Overall, the outcomes of the International Symposium on Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Food Security would be considered an advancement in progress of the recognition of the agriculture sector to the environment, climate change, and food security. The Technical Roadmap can be used to facilitate the implementation of the KMGBF, and more specifically the consideration of biodiversity in agricultural environments, its conservation and sustainable use. Its concrete recommendations can be integrated into strategies, policies, and can strengthen our collective advocacy for actions to promote sustainable agriculture, preserve biodiversity, and ensure food security for all.
Moving towards future international advocacy efforts such as the FAO Committee on Agriculture sub-committee on Livestock, UN CBD COP 16 (Biodiversity COP) and UNFCCC COP 29 (Climate COP), this Technical Roadmap could be an effective tool to promote the positive contributions of agriculture and to ensure increased participation of farmers in the development of innovative approaches and to develop an environment favorable to the implementation of actions.
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