LEI, part of Wageningen UR, will be taking part in two side-events of the ‘It’s Down 2 Earth’ conference, focusing on agriculture, food security and climate change. This international conference will be taking place in The Hague in early November. The topics in which LEI will be making contributions are corporate social responsibility and food security.
Tool
The Eururalis Consortium – comprising LEI, Alterra, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, PBL) and the Institute for Environmental Studies (Instituut voor Milieuvraagstukken, IVM) – will be giving a presentation on 1 November on a tool that provides insight into the causes of problems with food security and the environment. The connection of global and local dimensions and the quantification of policy relating to sustainability indicators are the main characteristics.
In this way, the effects on the common agricultural policy, WTO policy, the renewable resources policy and the deforestation policy will be calculated. The tool also indicates policy-based solutions to prevent these problems occurring. The team developed the tool for European countries but now wants to create a version for developing countries. To begin with, the team is considering Ethiopia and Vietnam, as a great deal of relevant research is already underway there.
Opportunities for entrepreneurs
LEI and MVO Nederland (Dutch organisation for corporate social responsibility) will be giving a lecture on opportunities for the private sector on 2 November. The main theme is: How to convert a global problem into opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Climate adaptation in rural Africa
On the 4th of november, LEI is participating in the side event "Win-wins for Small Producers, Private Sector collaboration & Enabling Environment". LEI-researcher Bette Harms will present research on good practices in climate adaptation in rural Africa. Climate adaptation strategies can work through joint learning at the interface of science, policy and practice. Results of the projects LUPIS, SAFRUIT, BOCI and JOLISAA will be presented.
The objective of It’s Down 2 Earth, a Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change, is to develop a ‘roadmap’ for participants comprising concrete actions to be taken. The focus is on linking agriculture-related investments, policy and measures to economic growth with reduced CO2 emissions. ‘Agriculture should no longer be seen as part of the problem but as part of the solution’, according to former agriculture minister Gerda Verburg, who will be chairing the conference.
The conference organisation is in the hands of the Dutch government in collaboration with the governments of Ethiopia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Vietnam, the World Bank and the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations). It’s Down 2 Earth will be taking place from 31 October to 5 November inclusive at the World Forum Theater in The Hague.