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Governments and the private sector must commit to a doubling of their investments in agricultural research, innovation and deployment in developing and emerging economies, urges a new Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture, launched at COP26 today by the Climateshot campaign. 

Such investment - an additional $15bn every year - will combat climate change and protect nature, according to the ClimateShot campaign, which is co-chaired by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). 

This amounts to US$ 120bn by 2030 for the benefit of lower income countries, across a decade of action to combat the climate crisis. 

ClimateShot is backed by the government ministries or national agriculture research institutes of 18 major food producing countries, and secured the support of more than 160 allies that include large agriculture and food businesses, NGOs, international development institutions, national banks, SMEs, youth leaders, and impact investment funds that together are committed to mobilising some US$ 5bn for sustainable businesses.   

The Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture sets out four critical actions around which global leaders attending COP26—both public and private—must galvanise action for people, nature and climate.   

Firstly, they must increase investment in agricultural research and innovation to create more climate-resilient, low-emission technologies and practices in agriculture. 

Research shows that such increases in investment will deliver effective, high-value-for-money incremental changes that us help us make very substantial progress towards international goals on food security, water conservation and climate change.

The investments deliver technologies and practices that reduce the risk of hunger, reverse the impact of climate change on the yields of key crops – and so helping avoid loss and damage – and reduce emissions.   

But to deliver the truly transformative changes in global agriculture that are required, we must shift and focus at least a third of all agricultural research and innovation investments worldwide to delivering demand-driven solutions that work across food systems, and which specifically protect nature and limit climate change. 

The ClimateShot campaign also calls on public and private sector leaders to urgently find ways to accelerate and scale the work of impact investment funds and initiatives promoting business models and public-private partnerships that deploy agricultural innovations on the scale needed.   

These can not only address the climate crisis, but also the food security and environmental challenges we face. These challenges include feeding a global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and reversing upward trends in hunger and malnutrition as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Finally, ClimateShot also argues that better and more inclusive dialogue is needed to forge consensus on the evidence of what works, where and how for appropriate public, private and community-led solutions.

The Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture will be launched on COP26 Nature Day, in an event featuring special guests Idris and Sabrina Elba that's hosted by Times Radio Breakfast presenter Aasmah Mir.  

Speaking ahead of the ClimateShot launch Vicky Ford MP, Minister for Africa at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, said: 

"The UK is home to world leading agricultural research and innovation. We now need a breakthrough in agricultural innovation across the world in order to improve the livelihoods and resilience of communities worldwide.

Campaigns like ClimateShot can help us do this by bringing allies together to make climate-resilient, low-emissions agriculture the most economically attractive option for farmers, food producers and consumers by 2030."

Also speaking ahead of the launch, Dhanush Dinesh, CCAFS Head of Partnerships and Outreach, said: 

“So much of the cash spent on agriculture today is frankly wasted, we need to put it to much better use. We know what works, we just need to be more ambitious and deliver innovation on the scale needed to meet the climate challenge. That's why we need a ClimateShot. 

The farming technology and practices used today won’t get us even halfway in reaching the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement, particularly when it comes to mitigating the effects of climate change. Innovation can solve that, but only if we spend enough cash to close the innovation gap. COP26 can galvanise our collective will to commit that cash, but it should also be about showcasing all the amazing innovation that’s already happening all around the world.” 

Ishmael Sunga, CEO of ClimateShot ally the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) said:   

"Innovation is key to delivering an inclusive and just climate-smart future for farmers around the world, but especially for those across Africa. Temperatures across the continent are rising faster than anywhere else in the world, and so African farmers are particularly vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, so that's why I back ClimateShot." 

As CEO of SACAU, an organisation that represents the common interests of 19 national farmers’ associations from 12 countries across Southern Africa, I’m hopeful that COP26 is a moment to galvanize international support in shifting the global agenda and spend on agriculture towards more and better research and innovation outcomes, sowing the seeds for a more resilient, prosperous future for farming communities in Africa. 

ENDS 

• A just transition to sustainable agriculture for people, climate and nature 

• Saturday 6 November   

• Second session on innovation: 12:45 - 13:30 GMT 

• COP26 Blue Zone - Cairn Gorm Plenary Room

• For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.climateshot.earth/events 

ABOUT CLIMATESHOT 

More information about ClimateShot can be found at www.climateshot.earth   

ClimateShot is supported by the government ministries or national agriculture research institutes of 18 countries. ClimateShot has secured more than 160 allies as diverse as the World Bank, WWF, World Food Programme, UN Foundation, Columbia Climate School, Bayer, Rainforest Alliance, World Economic Forum, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, CDC Group, Rabobank and the Environmental Defence Fund.   

See the full list of allies at: https://www.climateshot.earth/our-allies 

• The 100 Million Farmers Multi-Stakeholder Platform, led by the World Economic Forum. 

• The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) initiative, which brings countries together to find ways to grow more food without growing greenhouse gas emissions.   

• The new CGIAR organisational structure, research and innovation strategy and portfolio of initiatives. 

• ClimateShot allies from the impact investment community comprise over 20 investors, funders and initiatives, including innovative funds aiming to mobilise over US$5 billion in financing to transform agriculture for people, nature and the climate  

ClimateShot is also informed by engagement with countries through the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) dialogue as well as the Policy Action Agenda for Transition to Sustainable Food and Agriculture.  

ClimateShot is aligned to the objectives of the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C).