More than 90 percent of global food production depends on soil. It provides habitats for soil organisms and is the most important terrestrial carbon sink on earth. However, fertile land is being lost to agriculture and the quality of soils is increasingly deteriorating in many areas.
This development must be halted by using land resources sustainably and preserving existing agricultural land. Farmers must also be granted long-term and secure access to agricultural land through ownership, tenancy and use rights in order to enable them to use land sustainably. Only in doing so will we be able to feed the growing world population, stop climate change, and reduce the loss of biodiversity. There is an urgent need for the international community to develop and implement viable and practical solutions.
The 2022 GFFA is to provide key impetus to this end and promote international exchange. The four core questions will be:
- How can we improve soil protection?
- How can we restore degraded soils?
- How can we make the use of finite land resources more sustainable?
- How can farmers worldwide get fair access to land?
Hosted by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office UK
This event builds on momentum of the UK and World Bank led Policy Dialogue on accelerating transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems through repurposing public policies and support and scaling of innovation. The Dialogue launched a Policy Action Agenda at COP26. The Policy Action Agenda sets out a non-prescriptive framework for action; within which, continued peer learning and knowledge exchange forms a critical part. The GFFA is an opportunity to further the discussion on policy reforms and to demonstrate real world examples that have the potential to be scaled or adapted to new geographies.
The session will cover:
- Key challenges land managers face in protecting or restoring soil health
- Experience and opportunities to address some of these barriers through public policy reform and support
- How to measure and evaluate impact
Leigh Winowiecki
Co-lead,CA4SH
The Innovation Pitch provides a platform for projects, companies and start-ups working on issues related to the 2022 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture’s theme – Sustainable Land Use: Food Security Starts with the Soil. The objective is to make these new and pioneering Global Forum for Food and Agriculture’s related ideas, trends and solutions from practice and research accessible to the interested public.
The interactive 30-minute Deep Dive will be held thereafter.
The Innovation Pitch will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation into German.
Leigh Winowiecki
Co-lead,CA4SH
