The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognises that food systems and agriculture can play a fundamental role in the fight against climate change. FAO Director General Qu Dongyu has participated in the proceedings of COP 25 in Madrid this week. The head of the FAO, in addition to inaugurating International Mountain Day in the Chilean pavilion, held conferences and work meetings with different leaders present at the summit. During the meeting with the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, the need to implement policies to support small producers with the introduction of digital technology in the agricultural sector was put forward. The FAO Director General thanked Pedro Sánchez for Spain’s commitment to the FAO and its support for projects that benefit the most vulnerable regions of the planet.
Qu Dongyu’s visit to the COP facilitated a meeting with Joan Ribó, Mayor of València, a city that just a few days ago proudly received the news that the historical irrigation system of its orchard-gardens had been classified as GHIAS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System). During this meeting, they had the opportunity to address the unique characteristics of the València orchard (l’Horta), nestled in the urban and peri-urban area of a city numbering approximately eight hundred thousand inhabitants. Both emphasised the diversification of crops and respect for local varieties as well as the consumption of local products as values that l’Horta de València represents.
This is the first meeting between the Director General of the FAO and the Mayor of València since the launch of CEMAS. Joan Ribó took the opportunity to explain the objectives of the Centre to Qu Dongyu first hand, which should serve to circulate the values of the FAO among all cities. Since its inauguration last July, CEMAS activities have been aimed at facilitating the exchange of knowledge among cities aimed at promoting sustainable and resilient food systems. In addition to collaborating to raise awareness of all issues related to the fight against hunger, nutrition and respect for the environment.
Throughout the two weeks of work at COP 25, in addition to the FAO, various international organizations and institutions debated the implications that food systems have on the fight against climate change and, in turn, the devastating consequences that climate change has on less resilient productive systems, as well as the practical implications of how this can be useful in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.