On the sidelines of the 49th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), we organized an event to explore opportunities to achieve joint outcomes for climate change and nutrition and highlight the role of innovation in delivering these outcomes.

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The Forty-ninth Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) focused on making a difference in food security and nutrition. CFS49 built directly upon CFS47 which endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSYN) and the Special Session CFS-48 with during which the CFS endorsed recommendations on agroecological and other innovative approaches, underlining the importance of improving the sustainability of agriculture and food systems, and the need to reduce their pressure on natural resources, including in relation to climate change, biodiversity, water, and land.

The urgent need for transformed food systems is well recognized as a basis for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all. Multiple drivers conspire to make direct causal connections between climate innovations and improved nutrition outcomes mor e challenging but are essential to find process and production innovations and technologies that are synergistic, inclusive and equitable while magnifying positive change at scale.

This side event explored how adaptation and mitigation to climate change in agriculture can measurably deliver on nutrition outcomes at individual households and high er levels. Speakers discussed what innovations can assure climate-smart agriculture will also become nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Furthermore, the event investigated in which ways multiple stages of food value chains can remain resilient in the face of climate change while contributing to positive dietary outcomes for nutrition and health.

The side event was organized by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA) and Italy's Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITE).

Objectives

Explore opportunities to achieve joint outcomes for climate change and nutrition.
Underscore the role of innovation in delivering joint outcomes.
Describe opportunities to advance efforts through the Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture.

Relevance to CFS

Discussions addressed the CFS policy recommendations on ‘Food security and climate change’, voluntary guidelines on ‘Food Systems and Nutrition’, and the findings of the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition report.