Background
Ensuring food security is a foundational element of the response to climate change and it is one of the key topics to be recognized in the post-2015 climate agreement. The IPCC highlighted in its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) that specific adaptation plans and actions will likely face limits and barriers in responding to climate change. Despite increased attention being directed to potential adaptation strategies, there is less understanding on how these approaches are actually working, whether they are feasible and effective, and the extent of their implementation. Food security is highly sensitive to climate risks with ever increasing climate-related events such as the impact of droughts and floods on food production, access to markets and livelihoods. The agricultural sectors (including forestry, fisheries) are particularly exposed to the impacts of climate change and climate variability and are already being substantially affected. Effectively responding to climate change requires taking steps to create more resilient food production systems that are better adapted to the changing climatic conditions. With global population growing at the same time, we need to sustainably increase the productivity of agricultural sectors.

Identifying key issues for decision makers on how to address and mainstream current and future climate risks on food security into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) will be of crucial importance for sustained climate action. The right policies to ensure food security, build resilience and productivity typically come with substantial benefits, particularly for the rural poor. Countries increasingly explore measures including better watershed management, improving soil quality, gender empowerment, risk transfer and social safety nets as tools to help them remain in a safe operating space while preparing for climate change.

Objective of the session
The side event explores key issues for decision makers to address current and future climate risks on food security. This includes aspects of disaster risk management and risk transfer mechanisms as part of comprehensive climate risk management schemes; it tackles specific aspects of risk and vulnerability of agricultural systems and addresses the challenge of mainstreaming climate risk analysis into NAPs for the agriculture sector.

• Opening remarks: Martin Frick (Director Climate, Energy and Tenure Division, FAO)

• Introducing National Adaptation Plan (NAPs) and current stand on country support: Srilata Kammila (Regional Technical Specialist – Adaptation, UNDP)

• Addressing risk and vulnerability of agricultural systems in the NAPs: Alexandre Meybeck (Senior Policy Officer, FAO)

• Climate induced disaster, Disaster risk management and impacts on food security, and livelihoods: Rupak Manvatkar (Climate Risk and Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes Unit, WFP)

• How Can Insurance Solutions Support Countries in Creating NAPs? Koko Warner (Executive Director, MCII)

• Discussion with the floor: Moderated by Koko Warner (Executive Director, MCII)

• Conclusions and closing remarks: Martin Frick (Director Climate, Energy and Tenure Division, FAO)