Written by: Jenice Achieng

An invitation was extended to YPARD Kenya To participate in the Food Liaison Advisory Group (FLAG) exchange meeting with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture on 31^st January 2023 at the Wigot Gardens in Kisumu County. Jenice Audi, the YPARD Kenya Representative stood in for YPARD in this meeting. 

Syngenta Foundation is implementing a project known as Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) in Bungoma and Busia Counties. This is a project that seeks to improve food and nutrition; the availability and accessibility of fresh and healthy food for urban households in low-income areas.

The FLAG meeting convened participants from Bungoma and Busia as guest counties and Kisumu county as the host.

Also in attendance were representatives of the following 

1. Institutions of research which are involved in a study on rapid urban food systems appraisal under FLAG- such as the Maseno University
2. The Mazingira Institute of the University of Nairobi 
3. Secretariat from USAID funded Kisumu County Agri-nutrition implementation strategy (2023-2027) program

The objectives of the meeting included incorporating diverse interests and needs of food systems stakeholders in the counties around the lake region under the Lake Region Economic Block (LREB).

It was agreed that there is a need for self-sustaining participatory food governance and to establish planning mechanisms to support the development of sustainable food systems for the member counties. Busia and Bungoma counties were also on hand to share notes on their program dubbed NICE: Nutrition in City Ecosystems, a collaborative program comprising a consortium of like-minded organizations such as the Swiss Tropical Public Institute and Syngenta foundation for agriculture among others.

The FLAG project seeks to improve nutrition and well-being while reducing poverty among city populations, with a particular emphasis on working with women and youth.

The goals, among others, are

1. Food systems governance. FLAG seeks to have enhanced involvement, more so at the policy level, of women and youth in urban governance structures in matters of food and nutrition
2. Production and availability of diverse, safe and nutritious food. That food should be safe for both human consumption and for the environment
3. Enhanced knowledge of and creation of demand for consumption of nutritious and agro-ecologically produced food
4. Enhanced research to generate and share new knowledge on best practices for safe and beneficial food production. This is to be done by having mechanisms for both vertical and horizontal exchange of information.

It is with the objectives above that FLAG is in the process of setting up a food systems platform to be populated with information on new learnings and proposals for onward implementation.

The thematic areas for strategy are 

1. Legal and institutional framework 
2. Post-harvest handling and value addition 
3. Infrastructure development, market access and ICT integration 
4. Food safety and health
5. Mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues. 

These resonate with our objectives as YPARD in the areas of 

1. Active engagement in the agriculture and food systems sector 
2. Networking with like-minded organizations
3. Promoting the interest and active engagement of youth in agricultural activities that lead to food security.

Connecting with the engagements at the FLAG Meeting, YPARD-Kenya has been honoured with a request to join the FLAG team in its policy processes. This offers YPARD Kenya the opportunity to advocate support for an enabling policy environment and appropriate investment in young professionals’ contributions to sustainable food systems.

Learning from Panel Discussion on Climate Change and Youth in COP26

By Shreyashi Bista

Recently, I joined YPARD which is an international movement by young professionals working effectively to build up young awareness about agricultural development and connecting and empowering youths in food systems. Meanwhile, I got information about the workshop "Panel Discussion on Climate Change and Youth, with How was COP26" which was jointly organized by Green Rangers Earth and YPARD Nepal, aiming to discuss about the major highlights, goals and outcomes of the 2021Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26). In this webinar, Mr. Lalmani Wagle and Ms. Prakriti Koirala (both climate activist and participants of COP26) and Mr. Kamal Dev Bhattarai(Journalist) were invited as speakers.

I attended this webinar where Mr. Wagle and Ms. Koirala gave us the highlights of COP26, Nepal's commitments, weaknesses, youth participation and way forward and Mr. Bhattarai gave his perception about the event. The COP26 majorly focused on decreasing the global temperature to 1.5o C and achieving net zero emission till mid century as per the target set by the Paris Agreement. It prioritized and ensured proper adaptation measures for different vulnerable ecosystems and communities and the effects from already accumulated greenhouse gases. The COP26, undoubtedly provided a better outlook to the parties by fulfilling the climate pact of providing subsidies to various fossil fuels, and similarly, COP document, for the first time had spoken about the phase down of the dirtiest fossil fuels (coal). However, the extent to which these commitments should be accomplished has not yet been done and the urgency for action was not still seen among the parties.

Youths from a wide range of networks and organizations mostly raised their voices in support of urgent climate justice and net-zero emissions with time constraints. Their engagement was more than average, and youths were being more aware of climate change adversities. However, it is not only participation that matters; it is the meaningful and quality engagement, as well as a commitment to work in the climate change sector that defines the success of their participation in COP26. Youth should examine and follow up on the progress of Nepal's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) implementation, such as the amount of development of electricity-based systems and the adaptation system to climate induced disasters.

At the COP26 meeting, Nepal has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2045 and to increase the total forest cover to 45%. It has also committed to decrease the risk and vulnerability from climate change completely till 2030. Other countries who participated in COP26 highly praised Nepal's involvement since it was structured, with a focus person for each crucial subject and as youths were being taken for substantial discussion. Alongside, there were also several weaknesses that Nepal displayed as they have talked about the natural extremities, losses, and damages, but they could not present evidence-based arguments for it, for example, the extremities of Melamchi Disaster, 2021 in Nepal. Furthermore, political turmoil is a significant impediment to putting climate change mitigation measures in place. The country leaders are constantly changing and the older issues remain as they are, when the leaders are changed.

Nepal has proposed a number of determined changes it would bring, but each of them relies on donations provided from developed countries, in absence of which there lies no basis. Developed countries are seen to be in no position to reduce emissions and meet their targets, putting developing countries at a disadvantage. Yet, the developed countries hold no accountability for their actions.Political leaders and concerned authorities must sensitively realize the problem of climate change rather than only displaying their insignificant attendance at  . Similarly, Nepal must need scientific evidence to support all of the climate change catastrophes it claims to have witnessed.

In a nutshell, this webinar reflected the present status, commitments, efforts that need to be put forward, youth engagement in decreasing the impacts of climate change, urgency of emission reduction and Nepal's participation and contribution to COP26. It was a very fruitful session for the ones who wanted to know meticulously about COP26. I am grateful towards the organizing committee, especially Mr. Sagar Koirala & Mr. Abhishek Khadka, for providing us the opportunity to learn.