Organizations representing more than 350 million family farmers and producers published an open letter to world leaders today, warning that global food security is at risk unless governments boost adaptation finance for small-scale production and promote a shift to more diverse, low-input agriculture.
The UN Climate Summit (COP27) begins in Egypt today with 90 heads of state meeting to discuss food security and climate finance.
Over 70 networks and organizations representing farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and forest producers have signed the letter including the World Rural Forum which represents 35 million family farmers across five continents, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa which represents 200 million small-scale producers on the continent, the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Development with 13 million members, and Coordinadora de Mujeres Líderes Territoriales de Mesoamérica in Latin America. National organizations from Jordan to the UK and India have also signed.
“The producers in our networks feed millions of people and support hundreds of thousands of jobs but they have reached a breaking point. There needs to be a massive boost in climate finance to ensure small-scale producers have the information, resources and training necessary to continue feeding the world for generations to come,” said Elizabeth Nsimadala, President of Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, which represents 25 million food producers and is a signatory to the letter
The letter warns that the ‘global food system is ill-equipped to deal with the impacts of climate change, even if we limit global heating to 1.5C’ and says ‘building a food system that can feed the world on a hot planet’ must be a priority for COP27.
“$611 billion is spent subsidising food production every year – much of it on industrial, chemical-intensive agriculture that is harmful to people and the environment. This can’t continue. Leaders must listen to farmers and put their political weight and financial muscle behind a shift to more diverse, sustainable and empowering food production – especially agroecological farming, fishing, forestry, herding and pastoralism,”said Ma Estrella Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development which represents 13 million farmers across Asia.
Small-scale producers are critical for global food security, producing as much as 80% of the food consumed in regions such as Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet they accounted for only 1.7% of climate finance flows in 2018– just $10 billion compared to the estimated $240 billion a year needed to help them adapt to climate change.Progress on finance is key to success at COP27.
At the Glasgow climate summit in 2021 wealthy nations agreed to double overall funding for adaptation to $40 billion a year by 2025 –still only a fraction of what is required.
“Food and agriculture have been sidelined in climate negotiations and the concerns of small-holder producers ignored. Small-scale family farmers need a seat at the table and a say in the decisions that affect us – from secure access to land and tenure, to accessing finance – if we are to rebuild our broken food system,” said Laura Laura Lorenzo, Director of the World Rural Forum.
