← This Week in Global Development
This Week in Global Development
How agricultural innovation and science can help tackle climate change
00:38:45
Agriculture is both a driver of climate change, with around https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/climate-change-agriculture-and-food-systems.html coming from direct on farm emissions, and a potential game changer in mitigating it, if carried out...
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- [00:05]
A
Hi everyone, I'm Kate Warren, Executive Vice President and executive editor at Devex. And welcome to this special episode of Climate Plus, a special COP 29 edition of this Week in Global Development sponsored by CropLife International. So farmers today, many of whom are on the front lines of the climate crisis, are under immense pressure, pressure to provide more food, more nutritious food, but with fewer resources and an increasingly unpredictable world. CropLife International is a global advocate for plant science innovation, helping farmers sustainably boost productivity while both tackling and adapting to climate challenges. Joining me today are Emily Reese, president and CEO of CropLife International, and Lori Goodwin, CropLife's vice president for public affairs and communications, two leading voices on these issues. And as food and agriculture take Center Stage at COP 29 and Baku, we are going to discuss how agricultural innovation and science can be key drivers in tackling climate change and building resilience in our food systems. Emily Laurie, thank you so much for joining us.
- [01:14]
B
Thank you for having us, Kate.
- [01:18]
A
Well, just to kind of set the scene, Emily, I'll start with you. Obviously, agriculture is a really unique space within climate change because it can both be a driver of climate change, but also help solution of climate change. We've seen food and ag really take center stage in some of these climate discussions. But could you just give us the state of play? Where do you see the sector being and what are some of the challenges and opportunities that you think are within the food and ag space, particularly as we relates to climate discussions?
- [01:55]
B
So maybe a first starting point, there is a reminder that climate change really does significantly disrupt global agricultural production and in doing so disrupt food systems. And so what we see is that the rising global average temperature, but also these more extreme weather patterns, and we've seen some over the past couple of weeks and we know those are becoming more frequent, they impact agricultural yields. So that's really our starting point. We're talking about the droughts, heat waves, floods, all of these weather movements that can impact and what we look at is the movement of pests and diseases. Those pests and diseases, they end up damaging crops, they really do in that adversely affect the livelihoods of farmers around the world. And there's going to be a real need now to optimize what we call climate smart agriculture, resilient agricultural practices. And that we believe there's a real role for innovative technologies in achieving that. We look at integrated pest management, for instance, which brings together a whole host of a combination of cultural, biological, chemical measures to manage pests that will be one of the parts to it, but we're also seeing, and this is really exciting grounds, advancements in plant science technologies, plant breeding techniques, biotechnology, new genomic techniques, and those all also offer solutions to improve this crop resilience that we're talking about, increase those yields and also enhance the nutritional content of food. So what we're looking at here is in this agricultural innovation space, when it's coupled with new farming methods, including digital precision farming, which is really a very exciting development now, including with the advent of artificial intelligence, we can see that playing a major role now in this adaptation to climate change and also, you know, tackling that challenge which we know is real, which is we need to supply sufficient food for an increasing global population, which is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. We're entering soon 2025. So that's a 25 mission, 25 year mission that we had ahead of us. It's a big challenge and it's one that we're eager to tackle in Baku at COP 29.
- [04:46]
A
So, Laurie, I'd like to bring you into the conversation. COP 29, we are expecting many discussions, including high level meetings on the importance of food and agriculture in building climate resilience. What are some of the key outcomes debates, discussions you're hoping to see come out of this copy?
- [05:08]
C
Yeah, thank you. It's a great question because I think we've spent the last three or four cops getting agriculture more visible at these negotiations. And so in terms of what am I really wanting to see this year is moving beyond conversation. So, you know, beyond the negotiations themselves, we've seen presidencies initiate new efforts, new programs towards agriculture, which has all been great. And if we think about the UAE declaration from last year, that was, I think, incredibly positive, talking about the innovations, citing the innovations as solutions that Emily just, just mentioned, I think it's okay. How do we operationalize this now at the country level? How do we make sure that we're actually making progress against some of these declarations and really seeing things at the farm level? A lot of the negotiations that we're a part of, whether that's on Nature last week in Cali or, you know, coming to the UNFCCC? COP 29, a lot of that ends up implemented at the farm level because we're talking about land. And so how do we make sure, number one, these things are feasible, that they're implementable and that they're giving farmers more access to the tools that they're going to need to adapt and become more climate resilient so that they can Deliver the food security that Emily just mentioned.
- [06:27]
A
Yeah. And so what are some of the barriers to that and particularly in ensuring some of these technologies and innovations reach smallholder farmers and low income countries? Even talked about, Emily, the opportunity of AI and digital connectivity, but that also requires digital infrastructure to enable. So maybe I'll pose this to both of you and Emily first. What is needed to ensure that these innovations are actually reaching these farmers who need them most?
- [07:04]
B
Laurie, do you want to head out first? I mean, there's so much packed into that question. The barriers that we see today are many and the challenge is great. We see a trade issue here, trade barriers, which is the ability of produce to move across borders. We know that today one calorie out of four crosses a border or crosses many borders, in fact. And so how produce is able to move around from one country to another is a significant challenge. And then there's the question of how you get the technology into the hands of the farmers. So we'd like to say from lab to field. And that requires regulatory frameworks to be present to be put into place. It means that governments need to have thought through the policies put in the regulatory frameworks to allow those technologies to get into the hands of farmers. So it's really a multitude, I would say, of barriers that we see today. And in a way, it's refreshing to see some of these discussions also be driven into the climate and development space as new questions that need to be tackled. And particularly that interlink between climate, trade and agriculture, because they're all very much interlinked.
- [08:26]
A
Yeah.
- [08:26]
C
And maybe I would just add, there's also, of course, the financing component. And oftentimes I think private sector has a recognized role to play in these conversations. And I think that's encouraging for us is to say, yes, there's the finance piece, but there's also knowledge exchange. So it's one thing to have research and development and new products sitting on a shelf, it's another to get them into the field. And so, as Emily rightly said, having the right regulatory frameworks to incentivize the research and development at the local and the national levels, because there's no one size fits all approach to these challenges that we have. And it really is going to have to be led oftentimes, especially with the smallholder farmer piece at the local and the national levels. And so I think recognizing that private sector can sometimes be a conduit to knowledge exchange for farmers. Right. Oftentimes our members, for instance, are, you know, they have a direct line to Farmers themselves. And so what are the programs that we can help with? What are the trainings we can help with? What is the knowledge exchange that needs to happen sometimes to identify the barriers you asked about and find solutions to moving past them. But this multi stakeholder approach that I think we've seen come into the discussions a little bit more at these conventions has been much appreciated, I think from our end.
- [09:48]
A
Yeah, so there's recently the G20 Agricultural Ministers Declaration, which really emphasizes international trade and productivity and science based solutions really tailored to local needs. So how do you see declarations like this being an important part of ensuring that these kinds of innovations are getting into the hands of these smallholder farmers? Emily, maybe I'll start with you.
- [10:17]
B
Well, first I think we need to acknowledge that there are challenges to the multilateral system today that are making decision making at that level more complex. So we look to the next plurilateral level, which is these great groupings such as the G20, which represents the 20 largest economies. One of the elements that we've seen in the last G20 was an opening up even of that group. Further in the ag discussions, we had over 50 governments present in Brazil from the agricultural ministries to tackle these issues. So we saw really a willingness from the Brazilian presidency to bring stakeholders from far and beyond, which wouldn't normally and or naturally be G20 stakeholders to the discussion to make progress. Now the G20 in that respect can hold as other groupings quite a unique position in facilitating collective action, because that's what we're talking about. We need to support these agricultural investments. We need to promote sustainable, inclusive growth. We need to uphold those policy, the regulatory frameworks that we just discussed that facilitate this trade and agricultural policies products, and that particularly in a moment where climate change is going to create disruptions in supply chains, more droughts, more floods, more extreme weather patterns mean that countries that could have been exporters might become importers overnight. And so how do we facilitate these trade patterns is through the adherence of a set of international rules that everyone's going to abide by. Now unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, there are barriers to that and those are really the questions that we've been tackling as part of those conversations. Now, the declaration that we saw coming out of Brazil and the Cuyaba Declaration of Ministers really did in a way reflect, and I think it was very. An interesting moment did reflect expert inputs that had come from the engagement of a number of groups of civil society businesses that had worked around another grouping called the B20 that had been providing a number of recommendations to governments throughout the year to prepare for this big meeting, this big ministerial. And in a way, we saw those recommendations closely mirrored then in the points that governments were ascribing to. We were part of that working group, the task force that was co chaired in particular by our chairman. And so as part of that collective thinking, I think we had a lot of thought process that went into tackling a lot of these questions ahead of the ministerial. And I must say it was a really, it was a really insightful and strong investment in terms of time and technical expertise that was spent throughout the year to get to the declaration. Now we also need to recognize that Brazil really did drive a lot of these conversations and showed remarkable leadership to achieve real outcomes which can lead to a clear implementation. But now. Now what? Now we need to also see that beyond the declaration, we do get an implementation that the outcomes that we have worked towards also are driven through and noticeably under the South African presidency that will be kicking off shortly at the end of this year. That is now, I would say, one of the biggest challenges that we have considering that agriculture doesn't have a structural work track under this grouping yet. Hopefully we'll see that become more structured in the future. That at least is our wish at Croplife International. But we also are very pleased with the results of this G20 in that respect.
- [14:38]
A
Yeah. So, you know, Brazil is obviously playing a big role, a lot of these conversations hosting G20 this year and then the host for COP next year. And I think many people see this COP 29 in Baku is really kind of a midway point, really looking ahead at COP30 next year in Brazil. And so what are you hoping to see get done or the conversations here at COP 29 to really lay the groundwork to make COP 30, I think is impactful and successful that a lot of people are really hoping it will be.
- [15:17]
C
Yeah, for me, I think mainstreaming agriculture into the conversation, I think sometimes agriculture can be left sort of outside. I don't want to say outside the room, but it's its own program of negotiation, for instance at unfccc. And so bringing it inside the room so that everybody is having the same conversation. And picking up on your last question, there's a number of these conventions that are all negotiated independently around soil conservation, nature, climate. And I think we're starting to see some initiatives that I find encouraging for those convention leadership to be in the same room. Because like I said, when we're talking about land, land conversion, land use, it all comes down in our case to the farm level. So I think that's been really encouraging. I think seeing agriculture being once again mainstreamed into the nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans is something we really want to I'm looking forward to some of those how conversations that are going to be led I hope at COP 29 over the next couple of weeks and then working intersessionally to see once again how are countries embedding that, implementing it, measuring it and with the measurement incentivizing farmers to adopt new practices, different practices, new technologies, whatever is right for them on their farms to achieve this climate resiliency that we all need to continue to provide the food for the world.
- [16:52]
D
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- [17:37]
A
Yeah, and so Emily, kind of on that point too and really thinking about the importance of regulatory support frameworks that really can foster agriculture innovation. What are some of the things you are looking to advocate for COP 29 and beyond to help better enable a, you know, policymakers to understand the importance of this, the regulatory support and framework?
- [18:05]
B
Maybe I'll start by Lori's just last point there. We're going to have to have a big reminder in vacuum that there were decisions that were made at COP28 in Dubai and they now need there's a clock that's running up to COP30 in Belay in Brazil which is considered to be a deadline and that is the integration, as she just said, of agriculture into these nationally determined contributions to national adaptation. Now one would think that in that how and the integration of the how that's going to spun off a whole lot of other policy conversations and regulatory conversations which are going to be required at country level in order to get there. Because every country and I think it's important there is no one size fits all approach when we're looking at these issues. Every country is going to have to come back with their own how and come back with that in A plan. And so a lot of the conversations in Baku around the policy and the regulatory space are going to be about looking at best practices, looking at some of the frameworks that exist. And I'm thinking of Japan, I'm thinking of Guatemala, I'm thinking of a number of countries that have put into place some thinking around these regulatory spaces in terms of how to get to that end goal of this integration that obviously provides ample opportunity to really hone in, I would say, in some of the more finite detail of the regulatory space when it comes to registration and authorization regimes, when it comes to some of the trade barriers I mentioned earlier and what we can do to tackle those at a national or a regional level, when it comes to also looking at the finance space, as Laurie earlier mentioned, how we're going to create, foster a framework that encourages innovation, sustainable practices. So it's all of those conversations that I'm hoping that we'll see emerge in those policy discussions at a government level. And I'm sure that Baku will probably be a bit of a reminder that the clock is ticking on its way to the road to Cop 30 where we have a deadline for implementation.
- [20:33]
A
Yeah, this cop is being framed as the finance cop. And there's always this maybe friction with a sense of limited financial resources, of mitigation adaptation. How are you thinking about really making the case for investing in ag and innovation being a big part of that adaptation picture at some of these higher level big finance conversations that are going to be happening in Baku? Laurie, you have thoughts on that?
- [21:09]
C
Well, I think as you, as you said off the top, that this is really going to be a difficult conversation for governments given the landscape right now, the geopolitics right now. I think what we want to see, there's been a very low amount of climate finance. I think the last number I saw was like four and a half percent devoted to agriculture. So I think, you know, if agriculture truly is part of the solution, then maybe that's an important conversation for people to have in Baku is to say of the finances that we have, such a small portion is distributed to one of the places, one of the sectors where we can see true tangible and implementable solutions. And so I hope that some of that comes out during this copy. And I think there are other ways, as I mentioned, to incentivize adoption of some of these programs, models, systems, technologies for agriculture that aren't necessarily wholly driven by government. I think there are other ways to incentivize through policy that Emily mentioned, encouraging a robust research and development for agriculture at the national level, which I think for. In many countries that I'm aware of, has been underfunded over the years. So I think there's a lot of ways that move beyond just strictly a number that's committed to, into saying, okay, how do we attract more. More research, more private sector interest, more, you know, incentivization programs for farmers to adopt beyond just, you know, R and D on a shelf, but getting it into the field where it's actually implementing.
- [22:41]
A
Yeah. And imagine being able to really showcase how when you get these things in the field and implement them, they do create impact and they can work. And, and you've talked about all the different innovations that are out there, but I'd love to hear from each of you what is one that you're really excited about or an example, like a tangible example of something that when it gets into the hands of farmers, can really help and make a difference. So maybe, Emily, do you have an example that you're really excited about or think would be.
- [23:13]
B
There's so much to be excited about when it comes to innovations flowing out of the R and D pipeline in plant science. You know, we're seeing a whole new realm of development when it comes to biostimulants, to biopesticides. But I would say, you know, digital, the digitalization of agriculture, otherwise sometimes called precision agriculture. I mean, this is emerging as one of those critical tools when we're looking at not only mitigation but also adaptation.
- [23:43]
A
Right.
- [23:45]
B
And we're seeing now with farmers around the world able to access digital tools from their phones. This is a game changer because we are able to access smallholder farmers in very distant lands and provide, I would say, some of that support the services. We see our members now really working a lot in this space to encourage and to find, to provide farmers with these solutions to increase yields, sustainably, minimize also the expansion of agricultural activities into ecologically sensitive areas, but also look to optimize, input, use water, nutrients. It is really quite astonishing what we can do now with digital technologies in, in bringing the innovation to the farmers in record time. And it's a real digital revolution, a farming revolution that we're seeing in that regard. And I think it's really important to keep in mind what are the benefits of this from a biodiversity perspective, from a conservation perspective, from a land degradation perspective, from the conversion also of degraded pastures, for instance, into a productive land, with the restoration also of natural corridors and ecosystems here. What we're seeing in this space is these technologies that are really able to optimize also the input use such as water and nutrients. And that also contributes to the protection of natural habitats, the restoration of ecosystems, eco corridors as well. We're seeing also digital being deployed in the recovery and restoration of degraded lands. We know that that also contrib quite significantly to it positively contributes to tackling some of our big climate challenges, especially when we're talking about degraded pasture land. So being able to restore these lands into a productive use with the restoration of natural habitats and doing so in a way that stores carbon, it's really exciting. And we're seeing, when we see this actually taking place and being implemented and then finally there are just practices here that just make common sense when we're looking at it from a climate perspective. And I'm thinking, for instance, in the use of COVID crops that contribute to soil health, reduce erosion, promote carbon sequestration. And we can see that it's really this integrative approach that we're having to agricultural productivity with conservation and seeing those in a harmonious way working together to produce positive outcomes for farmers, but also for the environment and society at large. So there's a lot to be excited about.
- [26:56]
A
Yeah, I mean, you talk about the integrative approach that is so critical. Right. Because a farmer lives a full life that all of these things affect. Right. They don't live in one bucket or one world as we're often kind of structured as a sector to either fund or work on. And I'd love to hear talked a lot about partnering with private sector and government, but Laurie, maybe go a little bit further on how you can see public private sector working with local governments. And what do you think? It's easy to say. Right. But it's harder to do in practice. So what do you think is really critical to ensure that these partnerships can come together and can help really drive an integrative approach that's successful?
- [27:47]
C
I think, you know, based, you know, bouncing off the last question around innovations, I think we've seen some. And selfishly, I'm. My background is in plant science and plant breeding. So I think we've seen a lot of successful collaborations between the public and the private sector in terms of delivering new innovations. And you know, as you rightly asked about smallholder farmers, I think that's where you could see a lot of this collaboration working well together. So for more locally adapted crops, et cetera, I think there's a real opportunity there. And we've seen this work well in the past. And so once again, how do you scale it? How do you share it? How do you have that right? Knowledge exchange, I think that's really important. And then I think, you know, as well in terms of reaching the farmers. So the private sector often has sort of the first line for working directly with farmers and there's a lot of opportunity there, I think, think, for training for that knowledge exchange. So it's not, once again, just about here's a new product, a new technology, they need to know how to use it, how to best use it and how to use it on their respective farms. And so, you know, one of the ways that we've been working as Croplife International is through the Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework, which is a holistic and integrated approach that speaks to all of those things we just talked about. So it's not just about having innovations. It's about the training and it's about, you know, the knowledge exchanged between farmers as well, to know how to use the products. It's also about making sure, you know, recognizing pesticides and human health and making sure that we are responsive to those potential risks as they exist. So making sure there's the right framework from a legislative perspective, that products are used responsibly and then also making sure that new innovations are coming onto the market as well. And that there is this, you know, pipeline of products as the risks, as the challenges that they face at the farm level change. We have this sustainable, you know, pipeline of new innovations coming to them. And so that's a project that's been ongoing for the past few years. It's going to be deployed in nine countries across the world, across all continents, except for Antarctica. And we're seeing some really good, you know, outcomes, especially from the early countries where we worked in, like Kenya and Morocco. And so I think once again, again, it's not just about us by ourselves. We have to be working with others and governments, partners, farm organizations to really make a success of these types of programs that are integrated and holistic.
- [30:21]
A
Yeah, I mean, I think really speak to the. There's a real opportunity, but also need for markets. Right. For some of these solutions to really be able to scale them. And you work with a lot of, of farmers and I think there's some that are able to come to these convenings, like cop, but certainly not the level of representation that I'm sure many would, would like. So the different farmers you work with, you know, if they were to be able to have a seat at the table, some negotiators that are talking about these big policies, what do you think they would say about what needs to be done to ensure that these big ideas and solutions are actually workable for them at an individual level.
- [31:07]
B
Sure.
- [31:08]
C
Maybe I can kick us off. Emily. I really loathe to speak on behalf of farmers, and part of what my job I see is making sure that they are at the table. And how can we make sure that we're amplifying farmer voices and hearing directly from them about exactly as you said, Kate, what is feasible, what is implementable, and honestly, what will incentivize them? I think I hear a lot of conversations about incentivizing farmers that farmers aren't at. And so sometimes asking them what they need is a really great start to really implement all of the solutions and all of the negotiated frameworks we've talked about.
- [31:44]
A
Sure. Emily, any thoughts on that?
- [31:47]
B
I'm often reminded that farmers are one of the sectors where there is no roof. So there is no way of replacing having farmers at the table in these discussions. And I think that there's a huge amount of work, as Laurie said, that our organization dedicates to bringing their voices to the table so that they can speak for themselves.
- [32:13]
A
Absolutely. And you know, a lot of the conversations around climate can feel very far away from people. Right. That maybe they don't feel it is impacting them directly, but food access to food is something I think everyone can resonate with. And so, you know, how do you think this understanding of food being such a critical part of every single human living on planet Earth, day to day life, you know, how do you think that helps to really make the case at these high level discussions that this deserves more attention than maybe it has been? We mentioned, what, 4% of funding and maybe like, where do you think that disconnect is considering how obviously vital food is to human life?
- [33:08]
B
We're a farmer and climate feels very real. There is no conversation that starts any day without looking at the weather. And that's just a feature of working without a roof, once again. Right. So farmers are really on the front line of this climate challenge, and that's why their voice deserves to be heard in these discussions. And so what can we do to connect the consumer markets to the farmers? Well, this is where we look at integrated food systems. But it's also, I believe a number of governments are tackling this also quite holistically now as part of the climate discussion. But not only it's about creating bridges between rural and urban populations in most cases. How do we bring those two together? There are a number of governments that are tackling this through big public policy plans which tackle the urban rural dividend. And that's not only a digital divide, it is a societal divide, it's an economic divide. And there are public policies that can really enable us to close the gap between these two societies, which seem to now be in a way diverging rather than converging at a moment when we need to reconnect consumers with their food systems and where, where the agricultural produce is made and is coming from. So I think there, there's a real opportunity in a way for governments to think about food systems in that way. And we evidently, you know, providing innovations into the fields, are very keen to bring the lab to field discussion and bring the R and D to rural communities. So we're happy to be part of that conversation as well.
- [35:11]
A
So, you know, we talk about, obviously there's huge innovations that are happening in the ag space, but they're also innovations don't necessarily have to be. A new technology could even be going back to more indigenous practices or indigenous crops that can be more climate resilient. So, Laura, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you balance thinking about the new innovation with encouraging climate resilient methods that maybe we've actually had for a while, or maybe haven't been using for a while, but bringing them back into the food system.
- [35:50]
C
Yeah, I think you said it best. I think you have to balance these things. And it's not an either or. I think a lot of these things can work together in systems. And so it's about having more tools. And those tools don't have to necessarily be things that we haven't, you know, commercialized yet. You know, there's a lot of interesting programs that are looking at, you know, small crops, they used to be known as orphan crops, but crops that are more locally adapted, as you said. And it doesn't mean that they can't employ different technologies in the system of their growth. It's just, you know, how do these things work together? And I don't think there's any wrong answers right now. I think, you know, food is what unites us. And it's important to recognize that there is more that unites us than divides us. And so while there are many different opinions around the table, I think having that inclusive conversation so that we move forward is really important. And, you know, some of that is looking at, you know, traditional practices, or it could be looking at new technologies that are still in development in the lab, as Emily said. So it's how do we marry all of these things? Together to have this holistic approach to food systems.
- [37:01]
B
Systems.
- [37:02]
C
We've talked a lot about the farmer, but there's also the whole value chain where there's also opportunity to innovate towards the same collective goal of food security.
- [37:12]
A
Emily, do you have any thoughts on that?
- [37:14]
B
I'm just thinking that there's a lot of the new genomic discoveries that we're making in the labs today. So these new tech, new innovations which are based on some of these smaller, I don't want to say orphan crops, minor crops, crops perhaps that have specific resistance, for instance, to diseases that come from different parts of the world. What we're seeing in that regard is really remarkable. We're seeing new technologies which are derived also from these minor crops. I think, to Laurie's point here is that it shouldn't be an either or conversation. We need to to see more integration, maybe more discussion as well, and conversations around these themes about how we can integrate traditional knowledge also into modern practices.
- [38:10]
A
I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today, but I'd like to thank my guest Emily Reese and Laurie Goodwin for taking the time to speak with us. And thank CropLife International for sponsoring this special episode. And thanks to you for listening. And if you want to get more than insights into the conversations happening at COP 29 or in Global development more broadly, subscribe to this podcast and devex Newswire for all of our coverage. Thank you.