Global food systems account for more than one-third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Cereal-based food systems do not sustainably produce quality and nutritious food and negatively impact the ecological cycles, environment, climate, livelihood, poverty and equity, governance, and resilience. The assessment of global diets in the last three decades elucidates the declining trend of vital elements and diversity in food and increased dependence on a few staple crops. It leads to "belly full hungry cells" – consuming more food with lower nutrition for those who can afford to buy. Deficient nutrition is a driving factor for malnutrition and hunger among the poor. Such lifestyle changes are impacting the food production systems and pushing them to more unsustainability.

Restoring food systems through a tree-based diversified functional production system can reduce the impact of climate change and environmental degradation and promote enhanced food diversity, health, livelihoods, equity, income, and governance.

Speakers at this session will deliberate on the transformations brought through tree-based food systems – agroforestry and trees outside the forests – to improve livelihoods and the environment.

Objectives

• To highlight the importance of agroforestry and trees outside forests in the global food systems, focussing on India, and find ways to reshape food systems to encourage nutrient-rich diverse diets and environmental sustainability.
• To deliberate on the linkage between nature and lifestyle while emphasizing the need for a radical shift in production, consumption, storage, and disposal patterns to benefit people and the environment.

Moderator

Ravi Prabhu

Director Innovation, Investment and Impact, CIFOR-ICRAF

Introduction

Moderator

Keynote 1: Why are tree based systems essential to deal with climate change?

A representative from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India/Dr Vivek Saxena, CEO, Haryana Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, CAMPA

Keynote 2: Tree Outside Forests in India (TOFI) for green economic transition responding to climate and livelihood challenges

Speaker

Chandrashekhar Biradar

Country Director-India and Chief of Party (CoP) for Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI), CIFOR-ICRAF

Q&A

Moderator

Panel Discussion | Tapping the multiple benefits of increasing tree cover in agricultural landscapes for Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Farmer Livelihoods: Perspectives from Nepal, Israel, USA and India with audience participation

Speaker

• Prem Kandel, Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Nepal
• Gilad Ostrovsky, Chief Forester and Head of Forestry Division, Keren Kaymeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF)
• Evan Notman USAID’s Senior Climate and Land Use Officer, USAID
• Bhrat Khakade, Director BAIF Development and Research Foundation, India
• Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment, India

Discussion and conclusions

Moderator