Enabling resilient and sustainable food systems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Agenda

About the conference

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in collaboration with the Government of Nepal and the Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystems (GRAPE) project are organising this conference to bring together multi-stakeholders from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries and beyond to foster cross learning of best practices, solutions, approaches and policies on food systems, and advance knowledge on enabling environment, regional cooperation and collective actions for sustainable food systems. Participants include researchers, experts from the government and non-government sectors, practitioners, academicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Objectives

• Document innovative ideas, approaches, and future-fit solutions conducive for transition to sustainable food systems in the HKH in the face of climatic and non-climatic changes
• Understand the enabling environment for transition to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems
• Discuss the role of futuristic thinking for anticipatory adaptation to climatic and non-climatic changes in food systems
• Understand the multi-level collaborations (at national, regional, and global levels) and financing mechanisms for achieving sustainability in food systems in the HKH and other mountain regions

Background

Nearly one-third of the population in the HKH suffers from food insecurity, and almost half is facing malnutrition. Climate change, agrobiodiversity loss, rapid outmigration of youth and men, a gradual shift to inorganic practices and increasing pressure on women in agriculture due to outmigration are posing challenges to the sustainability of local food systems and adding more risks to food and nutrition security in the region.

In the HKH, climate change is impacting agricultural food systems through changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, variability in water availability, changes in the timing of sowing and harvesting, increased incidence of pest attacks, occurrence of invasive species and weeds, and more frequent and severe occurrence of hazards. Overall, climate change impacts and extreme events, and the aforementioned key factors are likely to worsen in the future, which will result in serious implications for agricultural food systems and food security in the region.

Given the anticipated challenges to and potentials in food systems, there is an urgent need to adopt nature-positive approaches and bespoke solutions (climate change adaptive and gender friendly technologies, practices, and services), supporting enabling environment, meaningful cooperation, and collective actions to improve the sustainability of food systems in the HKH. Improved sustainability in food systems can play a crucial role in achieving Agenda 2030 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly on food security, poverty, health, climate action and sustainable consumption and production.