Climate‒biodiversity‒agrifood nexus critical to addressing multiple challenges
The year 2024 was the hottest on record and the first to hit 1.5 ºC above pre-industrial levels, making the need for transformative climate solutions more urgent than ever. To be truly effective, these solutions must also address hunger and malnutrition, as well as mounting biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation across countries and regions.
The agriculture and land-use sector provides myriad opportunities for tackling multiple challenges in a holistic manner. That’s why, since its inception in 2021, the Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and Agriculture through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPS) – SCALA – programme has had a strong biodiversity as well as climate change component.
At its core, SCALA supports countries to identify and implement solutions in agriculture that build climate resilience, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, strengthen food security and livelihoods, and protect ecosystems and biodiversity. And the extension of SCALA, announced in Baku at COP29 and set to run until 2028, will have an even greater emphasis on biodiversity and nature-based solutions, driving better alignment between NDCs, NAPs and national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs).
So, as FAO prepares to host the resumed session of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16.2), here are just a few examples of how SCALA work is already bolstering biodiversity in countries by leveraging nature-based solutions.
Cambodia
One of the main sources of biodiversity loss in Cambodia is deforestation. SCALA has supported the country’s government in tackling this phenomenon and promoting practices that benefit indigenous forestry and forest biodiversity. As well as carrying out a value chain analysis in Steung Treng Province to identify key commodities driving deforestation and biodiversity loss, SCALA has collaborated with SilvaCarbon to develop a training module mapping the cropping of cashew nuts, one of the leading deforestation-risk commodities.
The module will soon be available on UNDP’s Nature Hub website. Further, Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has launched official cashew nut crop maps to promote more sustainable practices through enhancing the estimation of GHG emissions and monitoring of deforestation.
Colombia
Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, hosting close to 10 percent of the planet’s biodiversity. The custodians of much of this biodiversity are local and Indigenous communities. SCALA has supported many of these communities in documenting and systematizing 15 traditional agricultural practices that promote climate resilience, food security and agrobiodiversity.
A good example is the cultivation by the Wayúu people of the Guajiro bean, which is adapted to La Guajira’s harsh local conditions, including sustained periods of drought and flooding. Among many other initiatives, SCALA is also supporting farmers in the Sumapaz and Pisba moorlands to explore synergies in agroecology, ecological restoration, and biodiversity monitoring.
Ethiopia
SCALA conducted a system-level assessment (SLA) in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Harari regions to identify climate risks and solutions to support biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience. Climate-related risks identified included drought, flooding, pests and invasive species, while major non-climate risks included deforestation, soil degradation and overgrazing. Based on the SLA results, SCALA now promotes ecosystem restoration and sustainable watershed management in the regions, addressing biodiversity loss through nature-based solutions.
Interventions include targeted agroforestry support, soil and water conservation measures, solar-pumped spring systems, and climate-resilient cropping systems that preserve soil fertility and genetic diversity through conservation agriculture and climate-tolerant seeds. A policy brief is now being developed to integrate the SLA findings into district and central government plans, ensuring biodiversity protection remains a key priority in climate adaptation efforts.
Mongolia
In Mongolia, fruit and berry cultivation is promoted as a biodiversity-based adaptation strategy to restore degraded landscapes and support ecosystem resilience. SCALA conducted a system-level assessment in Mongolia’s biodiverse-rich Western region to identify climate-resilient fruit and berry seed varieties, aligning with Mongolia’s NDC and the "Billion Trees National Movement Initiative".
The assessment, which took place in the Khovd, Uvs, Govi-Altai, Zavkhan, and Bayan-Ulgii districts, identified how climate and biodiversity action can be strengthened by cultivating certain plants, in particular sea buckthorn which supports soil restoration and wildlife habitat formation and conservation. SCALA also helps facilitate market access for farmers growing sea buckthorn, currants and other climate-adapted fruits and berries.
Senegal
SCALA conducted an assessment in Senegal that identified 22 priority agroecological techniques for adaptation, resilience, and carbon storage in the millet/groundnut and vegetable gardening value chains, aligned with the country’s NDC targets. Major techniques found to enhance soil health, restore biodiversity, and improve resilience include: assisted natural regeneration; agroforestry with hedgerows; biodiversity-based soil conservation methods; integrated pest management; and renewable energy integration in agriculture.
SCALA’s recommendations were validated by 27 stakeholder groups – including producer organizations, civil society, government (Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment), and development partners – and will be used to develop training materials for farmer organizations and inform project concept notes to enhance biodiversity-based adaptation. Further, SCALA has helped facilitate a collaboration with La Banque Agricole that will enhance climate finance access for local small and medium-sized enterprises and farmers using climate- and biodiversity-friendly methods, such as agroecology.
For more country examples, visit the SCALA website.