New York Climate Week

Unlocking Climate Solutions: Embracing Nature and Agricultural Heritage

The climate crisis is threatening the global food system. Crop failures and poor yields are contributing to the loss of lives and livelihoods, poor nutrition, migration, conflict, and other injustices. If we do not take steps to help agriculture adapt to climate change, production will continue to fall, prices will rise, and humanitarian disasters will follow.

While the international community has recognized the severity of the climate crisis, the importance of conserving and using crop diversity in addressing the challenges it poses is often overlooked. Scientists will need  crop diversity to help farmers meet the health, livelihood, and nutrition needs of current and future generations. Yet we are seeing the erosion of crop diversity all over the world, and once it is gone, it is gone forever. How can we safeguard crop diversity in perpetuity, and so maintain our options for the future?

The Crop Trust, Bezos Earth Fund, and One CGIAR will bring together experts, researchers, the private sector and funders to discuss potential answers. The interactive event will explore how we can all play a part in conserving crop diversity and using it to mitigate climate change and adapt agricultural systems around the world to meet the growing needs of our planet.

In line with the themes of the panel conversation, there will also be exciting announcements by the Bezos Earth Fund, Rockefeller Foundation and World Food Prize Foundation.

Following a panel discussion, chef Erik Oberholtzer will present a dinner utilizing diverse ingredients of the season, sourced locally from organic farms.

Speakers:

• Saswati Bora, Global Director, Regenerative Food Systems, The Nature Conservancy
• Ambassador Terry Branstad, President, World Food Prize Foundation
• Andrew Campbell, interim Executive Managing Director, CGIAR
• Hanneke Faber, Business Group President, Nutrition, Unilever
• Andy Jarvis, Director of Future of Food, Bezos Earth Fund
• John de la Parra, Director, Global Food Portfolio, Rockefeller Foundation
• Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust
• Hon. Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development, Norway (TBC)
• Caitlin Welsh, Director, Global Food and Water Security Program, CSIS (Moderator)

Program:

Welcome 

Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust 

Opening Remarks

Hon. Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development, Norway (TBC)

Announcements from the Bezos Earth Fund, Rockefeller Foundation and World Food Prize Foundation 

Andy Jarvis, Director of Future of Food, Bezos Earth Fund
John de la Parra, Director, Global Food Portfolio, Rockefeller Foundation
Ambassador Terry Branstad, President, World Food Prize Foundation

Panel Discussion

Q&A

Closing Remarks - Andrew Campbell, Interim Managing Director, One CGIAR

Dinner - presented by Chef Erik Oberholtzer

Event Closing - Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust

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