Cornell University organized an exhibit of its climate change research, teaching, and outreach capacity, including a poster on the Climate Smart Farming Program, at the 21st Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) from November 29th to December 5th in Paris, France. Agriculture was an important issue discussed at the global conference, with many universities, country delegations, and non-governmental organizations hosting side events highlighting the importance of climate change adaptation for farmers and communities, as well as options for mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector.
Cornell also partnered with IFPRI, IRD, and UNDP to host a side event briefing at COP 21 on “Climate Change, Agroecology, Nutrition, and Food Security: Critical Lessons from Project Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa” on December 3, 2015. The event provided provide insights into the nexus of climate change, agroecology, food security and nutrition from international research and development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change, with increasing temperatures, extreme precipitation and drought, and new pests and diseases, will create additional stresses on African farming communities and populations who already suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition. Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University professor of Soil Biogeochemistry, discussed how food security programs designed to alleviate poverty, of which Ethiopia’s Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) is a model, are also contributing to climate change mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For more information on the Cornell agriculture outreach at COP21, see: the Atkinson Center website.
