Islamabad, July 24, 2024: “Sustaianble food production can help maintain healthy ecosystems, improve water and soil quality and promote climate change mitigation. This can be achieved through engagement of relevant stakeholders, better planning, and effective implementation mechanisims”. This was stated by speakers during the Food Forward: National Multistakeholder Dialogue on Food Systems and NDCs organized by WWF-Pakistan at a local hotel in Islamabad on Wednesday. They further said that there is a need to develop policy actions that regulate access and use of resources such as land, water, and biodiversity in a sustainable way. The workshop aimed to discuss the current status and mainstreaming of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) related to the agriculture and food systems of Pakistan.

 

The multistakeholder workshop aimed to foster a comprehensive dialogue on Pakistan's NDCs focusing on food systems in line with the country’s national goals and international commitments. The workshop introduced the “Food Forward NDCs” an interactive, web-based platform that provides users with tangible, evidence-backed policy options. These options can be tailored to country-specific policy priorities within the components of the food system.

 

Speaking to the workshop, Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Conservation, WWF-Pakistan, shared that we largely rely on agriculture, which is vulnerable to adverse climate change impacts. What we really need to do is to transform our food systems that help meet the requirements of our population and promote a healthy diet. He further noted that the Food Forward NDCs toolkit provides key policy recommendations for concrete and actionable decision-making on food production and consumption. Nawaz further emphasized that there is a need to empower women by ensuring the legislation that can enable them to acquire formal rights to land and water and participate in the decision-making processes. 

 

Arif Goheer, Head Agriculture, Global Change Impact Study Center, NDCs Focal Point in Pakistan said that in our upcoming commitments, it is essential to set enhanced targets for key sectors and determine provincial commitments. He called to conduct a comprehensive financial analysis for achieving set targets, including quantification of losses and damage, and mobilize capital through innovative financing mechanisms.

 

Nazifa Butt, Head of Climate and Energy, WWF-Pakistan shared that we are mainstreaming NDCs into the key climate-sensitive sectors of Pakistan and overviewing the NDCs processes and requirements for their enhancement. She emphasized that the increasingly changing needs in the food systems in the country and drastic climatic events call for exploring new avenues and opportunities that transform food systems and amplify our efforts.

 

Food Forward NDCs is a guidance tool to support the enhancement and implementation of NDC ambitions for agriculture and food systems transformation. It will help countries to strengthen their NDCs by providing easy and accessible content to identify policy measures and practices and information about climate change mitigation and adaptation and sustainable development benefits. 

 

The workshop included the demonstration of the “NDCs Food Forward Tool” and interactive working group sessions with experts and participants. The workshop suggested the formulation of NDCs, and the integration of policy measures and actions broadly focusing on interventions related to food environment and governance, food production, food supply chains, and food consumption in Pakistan. The workshop was attended by officials of relevant government departments, food scientists, and experts from international and national organizations.