By Dhriti Dawda.
What is COP27 and why is it important?
Firstly, COP27 is associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (UNFCCC), and COP stands for Conference of the Parties. The UNFCCC has been signed by 154 countries and its aim is to reduce human impacts that can harm the climate. Attendees include diplomats, politicians, and lobbyists among others. Several barriers exist such as ‘economic, legal and physical’ that can hinder climate activists. [1]
Food and Agriculture impact on climate change and vice versa.
Food production causes more than one third of the total manmade greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.[2] Modern methods of food production cause ‘global warming, air and water pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, soil degradation and emergence of disease’.[3] Sometimes there isn’t an easy balance in adopting methods to create a sustainable food system, for example, converting land in some areas for dairy farming then impacts positive environmental solutions implemented elsewhere. It is important to note that there is no agreed definition of sustainable agriculture. Factors impacting sustainable agriculture include, and would depend on, the scale of agricultural practices; the demand for a food product which requires certain yields to be produced in an unsustainable manner.[4] Demand for food products means that agricultural land would increase to make up for yield reductions which leads to biodiversity loss and the release of GHGs. On the other hand, if people want to adopt a healthier diet and reduce their food waste, demand for having an excess of food would fall.
Changes in the climate will also impact the functioning of a sustainable food system. For example, warmer and drier conditions will cause longer growing seasons and could increase the yields of some crops but not others, such as ‘autumn-sown cereal’.[5] This will also decrease water availability for processes such as irrigation, and lead to tree deaths due to droughts.
What has come out of COP27 to benefit sustainable food systems?
Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) – was launched on 12 November. [6] This can aid ‘future COP presidencies to drive food system transformations outside of official negotiations’.[7]
Many countries and organisations have made pledges to commit to food system transformations as shown below:[8]
| Country | Pledge | Support |
| Ireland | €14 million to CGIAR | food–land–water systems |
| USA | $25 million to the Africa Adaptation Initiative | To launch a Food Security Accelerator |
| The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | $1.4 billion | to help smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia |
Another mandate is the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, which focuses on solutions for specific agricultural topic areas over a five-year roadmap, including assessing adaptation, and improving both soil health and livestock management systems. [9] Negotiations were made on the topic which concluded with the Joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security. [10]
Where we stand with the UK on sustainable food systems how the UK contributed to COP27 regarding sustainable food systems
Methods adopted by the UK to combat food waste:[11]
- Work with Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
- Separate collection of food waste for recycling or composting through the Environment Act
- £295 million of capital funding for free weekly separate food waste collections for all households from 2025.
- Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging
- Deposit Return Scheme to prevent littering
Closing comments.
Although there are many barriers to achieving a sustainable food system, the key to moving forward is authorities and organisations collaborating globally, with the willingness to compromise in some areas for the benefit of the overall food system, as well as individuals thinking about how they can contribute positively to the food system.
[1] Everything you need to know about COP | Global Witness
[2] COP27: A ‘notable disappointment’ for sustainable food systems (foodnavigator.com)
[3] Sustainable agriculture and food systems | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank
[4] 2022-05-27-sustainable-agriculture-benton-harwatt (chathamhouse.org)
[5] 131221-NERC-LWEC-AgricultureForestryClimateChangeImpacts-ReportCard2016-English.pdf (ukri.org)
[6] Governments Step Up Action on Agriculture and Food Security at COP27 | UNFCCC
[7] COP27: the food systems COP? – E3G
[8] COP27: the food systems COP? – E3G
[9] Governments Step Up Action on Agriculture and Food Security at COP27 | UNFCCC
[10] The NFU team give a breakdown on what this year’s COP means for farmers. – NFUonline