copyright FAO

Building on from vigorous efforts last year to incorporate agriculture into the Copenhagen climate change negotiations, GFAR has again been a co-sponsor of the Agriculture and Rural Development Day 2010, held in parallel with the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Cancún, Mexico. The event was organized through a consortium of 19 leading organisations from the UN, governments and development agencies, civil society, farmers groups, the research community, the private sector and the media.  

The Agriculture and Rural Development Day was attended by over 400 policymakers (including Ministers and UNFCCC negotiators) farmers, members of civil society, private sector and scientists. It focused on global agriculture at the intersection of climate change, food security and rural development, with the collective aim of identifying policies and practical solutions to address these closely intertwined issues. 

The attached statement from the Day, emphasizing that “There is no climate security without food security and no food security without climate security”, maps out the constructive ways forward that have been highlighted through these discussions. These now need to be turned into actions to address these crucial and intertwined challenges. 

The outcomes will be presented, together with those of Forest Day 4, at an official COP16 side event to inform climate change negotiations.