The Nature-based Solutions and Food Dialogue is the fifth of a journey convened by the Geneva Environment Network and IUCN in the run-up to various international negotiations. The session is organized ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit to be held during the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2021.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are designed to improve the ecosystem services provided by nature. When deployed properly, NbS can deliver multiple benefits, from supporting agricultural production and resilience, to mitigating climate change, enhancing nature and biodiversity, and providing hydrological services. Farming practices that increase soil biodiversity include sustainably managing soil water and nutrients, controlling erosion, and maintaining groundcover.

Food production has a massive impact on our planet. Moreover, looking forward, global food production needs are expected to increase more than 40% by 2030 and 70% by 2050, compared to average 2005-07 levels (OECD and FAO, 2018).

With more than half of Earth’s habitable lands currently used for agriculture (Ritchie, 2019), farmers and food producers play an important role in maintaining and conserving biodiversity. The loss of healthy soils reduces agricultural yields and could result in a food production shortfall of 25% by 2050. It is estimated that increasing soil biodiversity could contribute up to 2.3 billion tonnes of additional crop production per year, valued at USD 1.4 trillion (IUCN, 2020).

Therefore, it is now time to join forces and take action to meet the increasing demand on the food system while halting further land degradation. Leading experts at this session will discuss why NbS represent a key pathway for achieving this goal while contributing to established international and global targets. Adopting NbS approaches to better our food systems is essential to meeting the fundamental human right to food and contribute to multiple imperatives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Speakers:

• Jonathan DAVIES | Global Coordinator, Global Drylands Initiative, IUCN
• James LOMAX | Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture Programme Officer, UNEP
• Frank EYHORN | CEO, Biovision
• Femy PINTO | Executive Director, Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme
• Allan Mugarura NDAGIJE | Focal Point for Environment and Agriculture, Permanent Mission of Uganda to UN Geneva

The event will take place online. Kindly register here.