COP24 Act!on Agriculture
10-12 December 2018 | Katowice, Poland
Summary Highlights of the Conference
Highlights for Wednesday, 12 December 2018
The final day of the Act!on Agriculture event brought together scientists, agriculture practitioners, and public and private sector stakeholders to continue discussions on ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agriculture sector, while ensuring co-benefits. Sessions focused on ways of implementing agroecology, building capacity in measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), and raising the ambition of agriculture in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The session on capacity building in agricultural MRV demonstrated the importance of improved GHG emission MRV techniques in enabling countries to develop national GHG inventories, and thus improve transparency in emission reporting.
The final session on raising the ambition of agriculture in NDCs drew from the discussions of the previous days to shed light on how countries can meet their Paris Agreement commitments through emission reductions in agriculture. Setting the pace for this session, Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, the Netherlands, emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships to support smallholder farmers to apply appropriate technologies to increase yields, while reducing emissions.
The three-day event was closed by Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland, who said that, while reducing agricultural GHG emissions is challenging, the sector has a critical role to play in combating hunger and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Creed closed the meeting at 6:01 pm.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided web coverage from the COP24 Act!on Agriculture, as well as a summary report in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
+ Visit the web coverage for Wednesday, 12 December 2018.
Building Capability in Agricultural Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV)
Raising the Ambition of Agriculture in NDCs: 2020 and Beyond
Highlights for Tuesday, 11 December 2018
The second day of Act!on Agriculture featured sessions on agricultural development, scaling up agroecology, markets for sustainable production, and experience sharing from farmers working to reduce emissions.
During the first session titled, “Agriculture Development for Climate Benefit,” participants listened to presentations on agricultural development projects, including case studies from the Colombian dairy sector and incentives that enable reduction of greenhouse gases in ice paddies in Vietnam. Participants also discussed how agriculture development investments can secure “triple wins” by increasing productivity while reducing emissions and building resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The second session, titled “Scaling-up Agroecology,” focused on the performance of agroecology in enabling farmers to achieve higher production, and environmental, social and sanitary standards, while avoiding the use of fossil fuels and chemicals. During the roundtable discussion, panelists shared real-life experiences of scaling up agroecology.
The session on “Market Demand for Sustainably Produced Food” addressed changes in consumer behavior, and evolving trends towards sustainable living. Participants also heard about Ireland’s experience in promoting sustainable food sourcing through developing charters with farmers, food companies and retailers.
During the final session, farmers from Argentina, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia shared stories on their experiences in sustainable and resilient crop and livestock farming that ensure profitable ventures while reducing emissions.
+ Visit the web coverage for Tuesday, 11 December 2018.
Agriculture Development for Climate Benefit
Scaling-up Agroecology – Performance on the Ground
Market Demand for Sustainably Produced Food
Farmers Working Towards Lower Emissions
Highlights for Monday, 10 December 2018
The first day of the three-day Act!on Agriculture event took place on 10 December 2018. The day featured three sessions, beginning with a ministerial discussion, followed by two technical sessions: Farmers Working Towards Lower Emissions; and Resilient, Productive, Efficient Pacific Agriculture under the Paris Agreement.
The ministerial opening brought together ministers from New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Netherlands, Uganda and Australia to discuss challenges faced by food production systems in limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Ministers shared strategies for ensuring that agriculture can contribute to achieving the aims of the Paris Agreement.
The first technical session focused on how farmers have contributed to reducing emissions and building climate resilience while also improving farm productivity. Discussions included the best ways to achieve knowledge sharing and recognition of farmers’ contributions to emission reductions.
During the second technical session, scientists and farmers discussed technologies, techniques and practices that help build productive, resilient agricultural systems in the Pacific while reducing emissions. Discussions covered major threats to agriculture in the Pacific and collaboration that could help address them.
+ Visit the web coverage for Monday, 10 December 2018.
Ministerial Opening
Farmers Working Towards Lower Emissions
Resilient, Productive, Efficient: Pacific Agriculture under the Paris Agreement
Around the Venue
DOWNLOAD ENB+ REPORT
| 
Resources for the COP24 Act!on Agriculture
Resources for the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018
- Website for the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018
- Overview Schedule for the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018
- Joint Reflections Note by the Co-Chairs of the APA, SBSTA, and SBI
- COP 24 Presidency Website
- Website for Side Events and Exhibits for the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018
COP 24
CMP 14
CMA 1-3
APA 1-7
SBI 49
SBSTA 49
IISD ENB/ENB+ Meeting Coverage
- 48th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-48), 1-6 October 2018, Incheon, Republic of Korea
- Bangkok Climate Change Conference - September 2018, 4-9 September 2018, UN Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, Thailand
- Bonn Climate Change Conference - April/May 2018, 30 April - 10 May 2018, Bonn, Germany
- Agriculture Action Day, 10 November 2017, Bonn, Germany
- Fiji / Bonn Climate Change Conference 2017, 6-17 November 2017, Bonn, Germany
- Marrakech Climate Change Conference - November 2016, 7-18 November 2016, Marrakech, Morocco
- Agriculture and Rural Development Day (ARDD) 2010, 4 December 2010, Cancún, Mexico
- Agriculture and Rural Development Day 2009, 12 December 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark
IISD Resources
- CLIMATE-L - A Mailing List for News on Climate Change Policy
- SDG - A Mailing List for News on Sustainable Development Policy
- SDG Update Newsletter - A compilation of news, commentary and upcoming events published on the SDG Knowledge Hub
- SDG Knowledge Hub - An Online Resource Center for News and Commentary Regarding the Implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Linkages Update - International Environment and Sustainable Development News
Specific funding for IISD Reporting Services coverage of the COP24 Act!on Agriculture has been provided by the CCAC Secretariat