Agriculture and agricultural soils facing climate change and food security challenges: public policies and practices

The 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) will be held in Paris in December 2015 with the objective to achieve, for the first time, a universal and binding agreement to efficiently combat climate change and stimulate and accelerate the transition towards resilient and low-carbon societies and economies.

Agriculture is a crucial sector for many countries, given, notably, socio-economic and food security issues. For this sector, the links between productivity, resilience and sustainability are very strong, and the associated challenges are exacerbated by climate change. Actions and policies must be promoted at national and international levels which respond to the specific, but different vulnerabilities of the sector faced with climate disturbances and to foster potential contributions to the climate change mitigation efforts. With due regard to the diversity of contexts and priorities, agriculture must thus achieve the triple challenge of adapting to climate change and contributing to mitigation, whilst managing to meet the crucial objectives of food security.

These issues intersect around soils. This has prompted France to launch an international and multi-stakeholder initiative “4 per 1000: soils for food security and climate” for the restoration and conservation of carbon-rich agricultural soils. This OECD-France conference will enable this approach to be complemented by OECD expertise and analysis. The conference aims to lay the foundation for the international effort which is needed on public policy options and economic incentives to support food security, the fight against climate change, and adaptation to climate change, while integrating soil issues in that effort.

Photos from the event

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