BY BILL J. FIGHTER

The U.S. government is not relenting on its pledge to help African nations deal with the climate crisis that affects them the most.

With the support of the Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research (FFAR) , the United States will host today through Wednesday a climate summit under the auspices of  the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate / AIM4C). According to the website of AIM, the global event will bring together partners to increase and accelerate investment in support for agriculture and food systems innovation for climate action. The participants will comprise policymakers, industry leaders, producers, civil society groups, scientists, and researchers worldwide to drive rapid and transformative climate action.

In the context of the meeting, the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy for Global Food Security is organizing a breakout session focusing on the role of developing climate-resilient seeds and improving soil health and fertility in determining the future success and sustainability of food systems. The session will be attended by officials from the State Department and the African Union, along with other institutions that are working on adapting agricultural systems in Africa both above the ground, through investments in plant breeding of nutritious crops, and below the ground, through improvements in soil health.

Dr. Cary Fowler, U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security; Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment of the African Union; Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies; and representatives of Columbia University Climate School are among those that are expected.

In a statement released by the Office of the Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, the breakout session, which will be get underway tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9 at 11 a.m.

“builds on the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS), an effort being undertaken in collaboration with the African Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. VACS, which is part of the whole-of-U.S. government Feed the Future initiative, will seek to support African governments, farmers, agricultural researchers, and civil society organizations as they prepare the continent’s food systems for the challenges posed by climate change.”

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