There is no doubt that food systems need to adapt to changing weather patterns, especially with certain parts of the food sector contributing to the climate crisis. With climate change affecting farming worldwide, a growing number of governments, corporations, and NGOs are calling for climate-smart agriculture to achieve increasing food security, adaptation, and mitigation.

At the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting in India, UAE Minister of State for Food Security and Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri urged the countries to sign a declaration to adopt climate-smart agriculture and food systems to eradicate hunger from the world.

Almheiri informed the G20 members that the UAE was preparing a declaration on agriculture, food systems, and climate for the 28th Conference of Parties held in Dubai this year.

Taking to Twitter to share her concerns, Almheiri wrote that leaders of representatives of the countries “discussed the most pressing issues on humanity from food security to climate change.”

She tweeted, “The current global food systems are the biggest contributors to biodiversity loss, deforestation, drought, and freshwater pollution in the world, as well as being the second-largest generator of greenhouse gas emissions. 

“The #G20 could cooperate more on transforming the agricultural food systems, taking on that responsibility, and leading the world by reaching a consensus on changing these systems as quickly as possible. 

“And so, the #UAE will host the COP28 in November, where we will focus on stimulating the global response to many issues arising from climate change, from food systems to clean energy and biodiversity.”

I participated recently at the @g20org Agriculture Ministerial Meeting, where we discussed the most pressing issues on humanity from #foodsecurity to #climatechange. The current global food systems are the biggest contributors to biodiversity loss, deforestation, drought, and… pic.twitter.com/hB9H7J7U5o

— Mariam Almheiri | مريم المهيري (@mariammalmheiri) June 18, 2023

She invited the G20 member countries to join and sign a first-ever “leaders declaration” on agriculture, food systems, and climate that aims to mobilize global efforts to adopt climate-smart agricultural and food systems that can, at the same time, meet global food needs and contribute to eradicating world hunger.