Transform the food system towards the ‘green’ direction

On February 21st, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh attended online the first Ministerial Conference of the initiative " Agriculture innovation in response to climate change" with hundreds of leaders of countries around the world.

Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh called for all nations to "act together" to overcome the consequences of Covid-19 and transform the agricultural system to adapt to climate change and be sustainable in the context of “New Normal”.

The leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) of Vietnam said that these are the premise to promote sustainable agricultural investment and transform the system towards smart with climate-resilient, while helping to ensure food security and nutrition, and contributing to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

“The Government of Vietnam is deeply aware of the need for close coordination between countries and actors in the food system, in which the roles of producers, processors, distributors and consumers are the main focus," said the MARD Deputy Minister.

The Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate - AIM4C) is an initiative started by the UAE and the USA with the support of more than 30 governments. AIM4C was launched in November 2021, within the framework of the World Leaders Summit at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

Upon realizing that 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, AIM4C focuses on innovation across multiple areas of agriculture, which employs more than two billion people and feeds the world's growing population.

The Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate has currently received a USD 4 billion investment to accelerate innovation for smart, climate-resilient agriculture and food systems over the five years from 2021-2025. Vietnam, along with the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, is one of the countries participating in this initiative.

Through the conference, Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh agreed on four contents to be shared at COP27 which takes place in Egypt, including: ecological agriculture; new technologies/techniques; methane emissions reduction; and smallholder farming in low and middle income developing countries.

"Vietnam wishes to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the AIM4C initiative," said Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh.

Three commitments were brought out by Vietnam at the conference:

Firstly, accelerate the transformation of the food system in the direction of "green", low emission and sustainable; rational use of resources; and maintenance and conservation of biodiversity.

Secondly, invest in the development of agricultural infrastructure, not only for production but also for rural economic development; strengthen the role of households and agriculture cooperatives in line with specific conditions.

Thirdly, encourage the participation of the private sector in investment, development and application of technical advances in agroproduction; replicate the public-private partnership investment model; and promote the application of digital technology in agriculture value chains.

On behalf of the host country to organize the conference, Ms. Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said that AIM4C focuses on a number of areas that are often overlooked in the past. This initiative represents the UAE's comprehensive and inclusive approach, which is also the commitment of this country upon its proposal to host COP28.

“A major part of the climate challenge revolves around food and agriculture. AIM4C is a bold move to accelerate the transformation of the whole food system, which is the basis for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and eradicating world hunger by 2030,” said Ms. Mariam.

According to the host country UAE, AIM4C will step by step mobilize a global movement to increase food security and ensure the livelihoods of billions of people around the planet. In the near future, the conference organizing committee aims to mobilize USD 8 billion for investment at COP27.

Ms. Jo Churchill, UK Minister for Agricultural Innovation & Climate Adaptation, said, “Investing in smart, climate-resilient agriculture is an important step towards resolving global issues. Agriculture has great potential to do this because it integrates many values in sustainable development and resilience heightening. At the same time, the reform of agriculture systems can reduce emissions and feed the world's growing population."