On 7th December 2015, The ceremony of “The Declaration of Agricultural Diversification” was held at Paris in conjunction with Paris COP21. The ceremony was graced by The Honourable Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia and YABhg Tun Jeanne Abdullah with an aim to address one of the most pressing issues to humanity – food security.
The Honourable Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia and YABhg Tun Jeanne Abdullah officiated the Declaration of Agricultural Diversification
The event was a success and it was also graced by several honorable mentions including Dr. Sayed-Azam Ali, CEO of Crops for the Future (CFF); Dr. Trevor Nicholls, Chief Executive of Centre of Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI); Dr. David Molden, director general of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development; Dr. José Joaquín Campos A. Director General of Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) and Dr. Setta Tutundjian, Director of Partnerships & Knowledge Management, International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), UAE.
It was 11,500 thousand years ago, we were once the hunters and foragers of the earth. We evolved and moved to an agricultural way of living that lead us to industrialization and green revolution. All these advancement lead to the unprecedented growth of human population and global greenhouse emissions that were projected to increase beyond the “safe limit” of 2 degree celsius targeted by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Food security is a pressing issue when it comes with climate change. A hotter climate requires more resilient agriculture, food security, enhanced nutrition, environmental sustainability, shared knowledge and poverty alleviation.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda (SDA 2030) has provided a framework for sustainable development via 17 Sustainable Development Goals and many of which relate to agriculture. As yet, there is no plan on how agricultural diversification can contribute to the SDA 2030 for our future climate.
Today, Prof. Sayed Azam-Ali showed us how CFF helps to meet the needs of a hotter world and contribute to SDA which can be done via Global Action Plan for Agricultural Diversification (GAPAD). The purpose of GAPAD is to address the following specific SDGs including:-
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 15: Life on Land
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
As we learn that half of our diet comes from four major food crops including wheat, rice, maize and soybean, we also learn that these food crops are grown in a limited number of exporting countries which rely heavily on the high utilization of fertilizers and irrigation. Monoculture is not the solution to address food security, we need diversification.
In addition, when climate changes, people will look to mountains for food security and biodiversity. Animals and plants are migrating when the earth gets hotter. Mountain provides diverse physiology and endemic crops with huge amount of traditional knowledge. Sadly, these treasures are rapidly being replaced with major staple foods. Hence, there is a need of shifting to higher yields of mountain products starting now.
So far, we have identified half a million plant species on the planet and introduced a diversifying agricultural system that will help to strengthen the climate resilient platform for local markets, consumers and producers.
During the declaration, Dr. Trevor Nicholls has highlighted the importance of having agricultural diversification in Africa and South-East Asia regions as agriculture is their main source of income. The common challenges faced by farmers in these regions include lack of climate smart technologies to address new pests and diseases, and availability of fertile soil and water. For him, diversification is a risk mitigation measure. It diversifies one’s diet, and improves one’s income and reduces climate risks.
Dr. David Molden has also highlighted the importance of agricultural diversification in mountain regions especially Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and China. The highlands in these regions are the largest reserves of ice and snow which generate freshwater that helps to sustain 1.3 billion people living downstream. Notably, there are 3 to 4 billion people relying on these water sources for food production and diversification of agriculture shows to bring more opportunities for women in the mountains as a new source of income.
After listening to the experts, I wonder if we would still have any opportunity to choose in the future if we want to “Eat to Live or Live to Eat”?
“Today, agricultural diversification should not be seen as a choice but a necessity in the future. Climate resilient farming is the future.” – Dr. David Molden.
“Half of the species in the world have helped our ancestors to survive till now. Feeding the hotter world is very timely. We are convinced the benefits of this declaration, for the world” – Dr. Setta
In the end, I could not agree more with Dr. David Molden and Dr. Setta closing statements.
MYD members in support of The Declaration of Agricultural Diversification with The Honourable Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia and YABhg Tun Jeanne Abdullah.
It is a bright shiny slightly warm day for me. Well, it is warmer than most of the winter days in Paris and MYD members are heading off to a parallel event of COP21. We walked down to the street of Jaurès.
Apparently, the parallel event I am heading to is known as Paris de L’avenir. It means “The Future of Paris” We are here. Landing at the space of future Paris where green technologies and innovations were introduced in response to climate change. Sometimes I wonder, who decides the future? We decide for ourselves but what about mother nature we are living in? She does and we just have to adapt to her change. As we learned climate change is real from the past decades of research and discoveries, we need to adapt to her change by using alternative measures to survive her catastrophic wrath.
So, it was a long stretched of exhibitions along the river. I will share with you four interesting green technologies (supposedly in harmonious with our mother nature) that intrigued me.
Electric, Autonomous and Connected Mobility – VEDECOM is an electric and autonomous vehicle focus company focuses on two main objectives of energetic transition: energy storage and mobility for everyone. The vehicle provide new services, development while respecting security issues. Powering household appliances by capturing energy during peak energy consumption.
Dual Energy Solar Tracker – The dual energy solar tracker IDCmem is a mirror hub with heat exchange feature to produce hot water and photovoltaic panels for electricity production.
Recycled Materials for Development – Marbre d’ici is a new concrete made with locally collected and recycled rubble. Crushed and mixed with cement demolition and building-site waste are transformed into a new raw material to be used in the construction of public space, interior and object design and architecture. Marbre d’ici is also a perfect vehicle for participatory projects in which professionals and local residents get to work together on the transformation of their city.
Waterless Toilet in Town Centers – ECOSEC is a waterless toilet that helps to conserve “a third of domestic water consumption that are used for toilet flushing” and global phosphorus supplies that shrink rapidly via converting their waste into hygienic fertilizer! The waste water will be recycled and reused while the urine will be injected deep down 20 cm of the soil to accelerate breakdown of the waste into compost.
So my name is Amalen from the Malaysian Youth Delegation, MYD and I am currently attending the Conference of Youth 11, COY11 in Paris.
I got here a day earlier than the rest of my team and being here on the first day in the morning was simply overwhelming. We didn’t have access to the full program before this morning (26th Nov) but looking at it for the first time I simply felt swamped, confused and mostly just overwhelmed.
Floor Plan at COY11
There were so many different events going on in that single space. There we hundreds and thousands of people there. Me being alone I didn’t really know what to do at first, I texted my mentor and friends and sadly didn’t get a direct response due to time differences but I just decided that I need to stop feeling this way and carry on. So that’s what I did. I sifted through all the activities and events for the day and planned out my schedule so that I could attend all the sessions I wanted to. It took me awhile to shake off this overwhelming feeling but just focusing on the events I had to attend helped me get through it better.
COY Manifesto Session
For most of the day I was stuck at the COY manifesto sessions. These sessions seemed more familiar as I have previously been involved in a similar process during ASEAN Power Shift 2015. During these sessions, they talked about the youth manifesto which has been worked on for the past 2 weeks by a host of different people using data that they had gathered via email surveys to youths that registered for COY, and believe me that is a large number. This final sessions were more of a finalizing session, to ask us, the youth, if we agree on what they have made, do we want it worded differently or certain thing added or removed etc.
During these sessions, I realized that youth voices from South East Asia or East Asia for that fact are rarely heard. The number of Asians at the conference were not that numerous and trying to find another Malaysian there seemed almost impossible. I took this as a challenge, I should voice out my opinion, I should say something when I agree or disagree, let my voice be heard!
And true enough, my voice was heard and more than that it was taken into account, it was considered a very good point. That just gave me a big boost of confidence to continue to speak up throughout my time here.
“Make It Real” Session
I attended a workshop by a group called ‘Make it Real’. They had previously done COP simulations with different mechanisms to UNFCCC. Their new hypothesis and ideas really sparked an interest to me. They were trying to make the process of UNFCCC much more easier, more better and simply more efficient. These were youth who decided to work with their negotiators, gather data and evidence and work closely together. Hopefully this is something we the MYD can do with our negotiators after COP21.
Sustaina Claus – 3 Fingers Selfie
I also met an interesting chap called Sustaina Claus, the sustainable Santa Claus-turning Christmas green, haha. He taught me something very interesting, he took a picture with me and told me to put up 3 fingers. I just did it and it was a rather funny thing but after asking why I found out he had his own little movement going, society, environment and economy in balance- to create a sustainable balance between these 3 groups, and the fact I can tell what it meant and what it’s about is all because he put up something random and it made me ask. Sometimes it’s all about doing and letting human curiosity take course.
Towards the end of the day I felt ecstatic to the fact I reached home without realizing I hadn’t eaten dinner. It was an amazing first day and there is so much more I would like to share but alas sleep shall take over me now.
I have been looped into involvement for a session during tomorrow’s program-Asia region meet up and discussion. I hope I do well. Doing things on a whole new scale is definitely scary but I’ll give it a try and hope for the best. Hopefully meeting all the different people and conversing with them about different ideas and projects will help bolster my confidence for tomorrow.
While I was in Paris for COP21 I had the opportunity to speak at the 4th International Eco-Schools Conference (IESC). It was held in Shah Alam, Malaysia. We had to do it online via Google Hangouts Video Conferencing. I was planning to do it from the conference area but the internet connection at COP21 was really bad at that time so I decided to head home for a more stable connection.
The whole time I was heading home I felt nervous. I’ve never given a talk to people on this scale and it’s not like I’m just talking about myself or anything, I’m going to be giving my opinion on climate change and what exactly the whole COP process is. To take my opinion and ask me for facts on issues like this, it really blew my ego sky high (laughter), made me feel all important. Thanks to Adrian Yeo, fellow Malaysian @ COP21, who was also in this session, I had my ego bubble popped by the way he presented which completely showed the difference in our experience. It was my first time and I’d really enjoyed it.
Our styles of explanation and delivery were so different. I was too spontaneous and random in my thoughts and explanations whereas Adrian had a more organized and calm approach. I feel I need to learn to do this better to help prevent any miscommunication as well as to help ensure the message is delivered in the best possible manner. Maybe what I need is just more practice, who knows with all the numerous events and media moments MYD has, maybe I’ll get better if I keep these self improvement goals in mind.
While doing the interview, I felt something wonderful – all these students who are passionate about the environment so eagerly asking me questions. The passion from these young people really made me feel hopeful, it brought joy to my heart seeing that there are so many students that know about these environmental issues and want to do something about it.
When I was in school I never had this support, I was always alone in my passion for the environment. Moving forward, I want to be someone these students can look up to, someone that can help shape and guide the generation of tomorrow. Someone I needed when I was younger to show me the way. But to do that, I have to continue developing myself and doing good work wherever and however I can.
Thanks again WWF Malaysia for including me in this awesome experience .
Before the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD) arrived in Paris, we only managed to secure a half yellow badges, second week only, before we departed. Hence, most of the MYD’s plans were occupied by the parallel events that does not require accreditation to enter, in simple words, open to public.
However, after we luckily get full badges for everyone (we only receive the good news when we reached Paris), many of us neglected the side events outside of the Parc des Expositions (COP21 venue) because we already have tons of events available in COP21 itself.
Nonetheless, I have tried exploring two renowned zones outside of the COP21- Climate Generation Zone (Green Zone) and Climate Action Zone (ZAC).
Climate Generation Zone
The first time I enter the green zone was to pass Winnie, Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS)’s brochures. The first impression that I had for it was “as colourful as a circus”. I visited the Climate Generation Zone several times after that, mainly to have meetings and to be interviewed by Scott and Miranda (our friend from University of Northwestern who have tracked and filmed the MYD for the first week). The green zone is much more lively than the blue zone (COP21 venue) because it was decorated with fancy chairs and booths, packed with people in different customes (indigenous people’s traditional outfits, clown customes etc) and filled with energetic chants from the actions. Although I did not really visited every single booth in the zone, I spent some quality time with my group member Amalen walking, or running, around the booths there. What I observed from the booth is how they attract their audiences with their booth design, interactive machines and impressive brochure layout. The most memorable ones are the Juice Bar which generates power from bicycle dynamo and a booth made by paper boxes!
Climate Action Zone
I have been to this zone for only once, but the climate activism spirit stroke me so hard that I can still hear the loud cheer now. It is so different from what I’ve expected. I was expecting it to be packed with only a hundred people- some drawing banners, some visiting the exhibition and some joining a talk- a formal hall with chairs like how it was inside COP21 and a participant age range of 15-50. I was surprised to see more than two thousand people sitting on the ground, cheering as they listened to an arousing talk by climate activist. The atmosphere was extremely hyper and influential over there. As I could not find a place to even sit on the floor, I’ve stood to take note of the seminar that I intended to join, titled “Capitalism Against Climate: How Free Trade Agreements Undermine Climate Actions”.
The most surprising part was that the is a significant number of senior citizen in the crowd; they were cheering and clapping together with the youths. They were not there as a pass-byer, they were with their pens and notebooks – they were there to join the movement! Maybe the culture of elderly joining movements is not popular in Asia. I found this very interesting.
I actually missed some other happening places like the YOUNGO Art Space and the Place-to-B. I’m definitely very regretful about that but I’m glad that I did hopped into the two zones that I shared with you. These places reminded me that I’m not alone and recharged me so much after I drained my energy in the comparatively dull Parc des Expositions!
Loads of surprises for the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD) on the first day upon our arrival in Paris. First it was Jolene’s luggage being late, then Adrian’s uninformed occurrence, following by the good news of getting pink badges (accreditation to enter the COP21 venue, registered under our national government)!
photo credit: Rappler
Let me introduce you about the badges in UNFCCC. To enter the COP venue, you need to have accreditation, and the badge is the prove of your accreditation. This is to control the nuimber of people accessing to the venue. There are actually several types of badge representing different identities:
Pink (National Delegate)
Yellow (Civil Society Organisation)
Red (Head of Delegation)
Green (Observer State)
Blue (UN Agency Observer)
Initially MYD only managed to secure a yellow badge for second week, we were lucky to get 2 full yellow badges and 4 more full pink badges as the COP21 commence. Initially we did not realize the difference, or rather, pros and cons, of the pink and yellow badges, until the COP21 official starts. We found out that the pink and yellow badges combination works the best.
“What’s the difference of pink and yellow badge?” ”How do you feel to have a pink badge?” These are the questions that all the youth delegations that we met have raised.
As a “Party Overflow” (Under National Delegation, but sort of secondary) pink badge holder, I have been following the negotiation since the day that the Ad Hoc Working Group on Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) opened. I’m very grateful of having such amiable Head of Delegation who are very willing to share his knowledge with us. I’ve got the chance to follow him to almost all the meetings, including closed meetings, on the first few days. With all the sharing and debrief from Dr. Gary, we managed to have a clearer picture about the negotiation.
It was funny how the pink badge holders “trapped” themselves in the conference rooms for most of the time. We felt obligated to do so because we have the privilege to access to the live negotiations while many civil society members cannot. Anyway, the team worked together and get involved in action and negotiation tracking which I am really happy to see!
ADP spin-off group on technology development and transfer (Article 7), and related decision paragraphs
There were some special badges too. How special? If you manage to get that badge, you will be able to stand just 1 meter away from Obama, Xi Jin Ping and Putin! Those badges are very limited and usually will be distributed by the Secretariat to the observer constituencies like YOUNGO, ENGO, RINGO accordingly, and the constituencies will give them out to the selected members. These special badges usually will be used when there are significant meetings that involve high level segment like the Head of States or Ministers.
Lastly, I would like to thank the Minister of Natural Resource and Environment, YB Datuk Dr. Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar for granting us the “Party Overflow” badges that allowed us to have such awesome and eye-opening experience!
