Parallel session 3: Food security and climate resilient agriculture

Food security vis-à-vis climate-resilient agriculture is a growing concern in the face of climate change, with South Asia being particularly vulnerable due to food deficiency and malnutrition. The IPCC (AR6) report projects that climate change could put 8 to 80 million people at risk of hunger by 2050. The Special Report on Climate Change and Land (2019) further warns that land use changes and their negative consequences on food production may exacerbate food insecurity. Thus, scientists are emphasizing the need for urgent and transformative actions at local, national, and global levels to secure food production while minimizing environmental degradation.  

The Hindu Kush Himalayan Region, with its high population density, faces increased pressures to ensure food, water and nutrient security. However, extreme weather events, particularly GLOFs, landslides, floods, storms and droughts continue to threaten agricultural productivity across the globe. The IPCC estimates that under high-emission scenarios, the affordability of cereals could decline by 1–29% by 2050. This reduction in affordability could place millions more low-income populations at risk of hunger. To address this, farming and food systems must be transformed to mitigate these risks and secure sufficient food in the region. Risk transfer mechanisms, including insurance and early warning systems, are essential to safeguard farming practices. 

In Nepal, the agriculture sector is the backbone of the economy, with over 60% of the population dependent on farming. However, the increasing frequency of climate-induced disasters drives farmers away from the profession. In response, it is imperative that governments and concerned agencies promote climate-resilient agricultural practices including risk assessment and insurance mechanisms.

Objectives:

  1. Promote global collaboration to develop climate-smart technologies for both mountain and lowland areas.
  2. Advocate for integrating climate adaptation and food security into policies both at national and international strategies.
  3. Foster partnerships among governments, formers and private sectors and beyond.

Moderator

MS. SABNAM SHIVAKOTI

Joint Secretary and former spokesperson in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development

Ms. Sabnam Shivakoti currently heads the Agriculture and Livestock Business Promotion Division at the ministry and deals with agricultural trade and investment, disaster and agriculture insurance. She has served as Chair of the board of Agriculture Input Company Ltd, is member to the board for Food Management and Trade Company; Nepal Council of Standards and Nepal Accreditation Center. With over 25 years of government experience, she has served on various committees related to food security, food system transformation and climate change and has participated as member of delegates in several bilateral trade meetings. She is a national focal point for several projects.  Additionally, she is a bureau member of the International Plant Treaty for Food and Agriculture. Her interests include food policy, climate change and trade studies.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Mark smith

Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Mark Smith is Director General of the International Water Management Institute. He was formerly IWMI’s Deputy Director General – Research for Development, and brings more than 25 years of research and program management experience in water resources, agriculture, climate and sustainability. He was Director of the Global Water Program at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), from 2008-2018, where he led innovative, multi-regional programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America addressing river basin management, transboundary cooperation and water governance, climate change adaptation and nature-based solutions. He has a PhD in ecology and resource management from the University of Edinburgh and a Master’s in climatology from the University of Guelph.

Panelists

H.E. Ambassador Bader Omar Al Dafa

Special Envoy of minister of foreign affairs for Climate Change and Sustainability

Ambassador Al Dafa is Qatar’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Sustainability and the Executive Director of the Global Dryland Alliance (GDA), an international organization dedicated to food security in dryland countries. He held the position of the Commissioner-General of Doha Expo 2023-

Ambassador Al Dafa served as UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Al Dafa has served as Ambassador of Oatar to the United States and Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States (OAS). Read more….

Dr. Usha Jha

Former National Planning Commission Member, Nepal

Dr. Usha Jha holds Ph.D in Chemistry and hails from the village of Madhawa of  Mahottari district in Province 2. After completing Master’s degree, she joined Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) in Rampur, Chitwan as a Lecturer.  She became the Campus Chief of Lamjung Campus under IAAS in 1995. She worked with NGOs, INGOs and UN agencies where she could gain experience of working with women and the type of affirmative action needed to bring change in their lives. She believes ” Dependency is not empowering ” and she has always worked with the savings led approach with rural women while working for economic empowerment linking it to entrepreneurships and access to finance. She also worked as the member of  Civil Society Advisory Group to UN Women, Think Tank member to Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare, President of National NGOs Network Against Aids in Nepal, member of the Country Coordinating Mechanism for The Global Fund, Grant Management Committee, member of Program for Accountability in Nepal through CECI funded by World Bank and Proposal Evaluation Committee member for SNV etc. She led the development of several action-oriented modules for illiterates, semi literates and literates and related training packages. She also prepared Master Trainers in the areas of education, health, gender, WASH, savings led economic empowerment and other development related agendas.

Dr. Ganesh Raj Joshi

Former Secretary, Government of Nepal

Ganesh Raj Joshi obtained his PhD degree with specialization in Resource Economics and Policy from UPLB Philippines. He is a former Secretary, who worked in different ministries of Government of Nepal such as forests and soil conservation, environment, tourism, agriculture, and defense. Dr. Joshi Joshi has completed his Post-doctoral research as a Research fellow of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Germany. He is a Visiting Professor (Environmental Science) in TU and Chair of the Center for Green Economy Develepment Nepal. Dr. Joshi contributed as a Lead Author to Options for Governance Chapter in IPBES Asia Paicific Regional Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and as an Expert in the Scoping of Nexus (Food-Biodiversity-Energy-Water-Health) and Transformative Change Assessments. He has published over 3 dozen papers in the form of book, book chapters, journal article and seminar proceeding.

Mr. Ken Shimizu

Country Representative for Nepal and Bhutan, FAO

Mr Ken Shimizu is the FAO Country Representative for Bhutan and Nepal, since July 2021. Prior to this appointment, Mr Shimizu served as the FAO Representative for Papua New Guinea from 2013 to 2021.

He joined FAO in 2007. Mr Shimizu has over 26 years of experience in food security, agricultural and rural development, natural resources management, climate change, disaster risk reduction and emergency response/rehabilitation, primarily with FAO and other UN agencies (UNDP, UNCRD) in Asia and the Pacific as well as the Caribbean. 

Mr Shimizu, a national of Japan, holds a Master of Science in Environmental Planning from Cornell University in the United States of America, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Law from Waseda University in Japan.