TOWARD FOSSIL FUEL–FREE FOOD - Why Collaboration Between Food & Energy Systems Players Is Key

Awareness of interactions and implications across the systems is limited, partly due to siloed ways of thinking and working, and partly due to the energy sector often being prioritized at the expense of agriculture.10 Sustainable food investment lags far behind energy because investors have a more limited understanding of the complexities of sustainable investing in food systems. [...] It actively collaborates with relevant UN organizations (UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, and the IEA.15 In 2021, IRENA and FAO signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the profit- ability and sustainability of food systems by accelerating the use of renewables and sustainable bioenergy.16 Most recently in 2022, the FAO and IREN. [...] Many of the stakeholders we spoke to noted that awareness of the interactions and implications across food– energy systems is limited, partly due to siloed ways of thinking and working (e.g., there are different ministries for energy and agriculture), and partly due to the energy sector often being prioritized at the expense of agri- culture.28 Conflicts also arise from differing ideologies and pr. [...] This is what drives the Global Alliance for the Future of Food’s call to action on inclusive, participatory approaches to governance to address structural inequities and principles such as equity and inclusion.37 Building processes and policy platforms on principles of transparency, inclusive participation, and shared power can minimize some of the tensions through a shared understanding of the tr. [...] Examples of the integration of food systems measures in NDCs include Costa Rica’s 2020 updated NDCs with “Adapted Food Guides” promoting the consumption of Indigenous, traditional, and seasonal agricultural and food products, and their nutritional value and contribution to emissions reduction and food security.