The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate, a landmark initiative to transform the global agricultural sector, now has the support of 30 nations, as well as the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom’s COP26 Presidency, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at the UN Food Systems Summit.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is prioritizing efforts to promote AIM for Climate, with the goal of dramatically increasing public and private investment for innovation in climate-smart agriculture and food systems. The initiative was first announced by President Joe Biden and United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate in April. Since then, the number of supporting countries has more than tripled. New countries announced at the Food Systems Summit are: Bahamas, Bangladesh, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Morocco, New Zealand, Romania and Sweden.
AIM for Climate will focus on three main investment channels: scientific breakthroughs via basic agricultural research; public and private applied innovation and research for development; and the development and deployment of practical, actionable research and information.
“The climate crisis threatens to disrupt food systems around the globe, exacerbate food insecurity and negatively impact farmers’ livelihoods. We must invest in innovative, science-based solutions to help agriculture mitigate and adapt to climate change – and that’s what AIM for Climate is all about,” Vilsack said. “We welcome our newest AIM for Climate supporters and urge additional nations and organizations to join us in this global effort to accelerate agricultural innovation through increased investment in research and development.”
FAO Director General Qu Dongyu said, “The future of agri-food systems needs to be built on science and innovation, to address the complex challenges facing humanity, especially due to the impacts of the climate crisis. AIM for Climate is an important initiative to help increase investments in innovative solutions that can accelerate global agri-food systems transformation. As the lead UN agency specialized in agri-food systems, FAO helps to harness the latest developments in the rapidly changing scenarios of science, technology and innovation, playing a key role in mapping out and disseminating new solutions.”
AIM for Climate will be officially launched at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. Additional information is available at: https://www.aimforclimate.
SUPPORTING COUNTRIES
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Colombia
Denmark
Finland
Georgia
Ghana
Honduras
Hungary
Ireland
Japan
Kenya
Republic of Korea
Israel
Lithuania
Mexico
Morocco
New Zealand
Philippines
Romania
Singapore
Sweden
United States
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Ukraine
Vietnam
Source: USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service