Food and Agriculture
Hunger levels have been rising for the past five years. Almost 690 million people go to bed hungry every night. COVID-19 could push 130 million more people into hunger by the end of 2020 unless action is taken. Food production and agriculture matter: they provide livelihoods for more people in the world than any other sector.
We provide high-quality advice to governments and parliamentarians to strengthen countries’ food security and livelihoods and to improve the quality of public and private investment in agriculture and food systems, while protecting land rights and responsibly managing natural resources.
We also seek to make food systems and value chains more resilient to climate change. Our experts support governments in implementing policies and regulations that enable food systems and communities to absorb climate shocks.
See Our Projects
Farmers for Climate Solutions Task Force
COVID-19 has been fundamentally destabilizing to much of Canadian life, and the agriculture sector is no exception.
Ceres2030
Our mission is to provide the donor community with a menu of policy options for directing their investments, backed by the best available evidence and economic models.
Model Agreement for Responsible Contract Farming
Offering a simple and practical legal tool for buyers and producers to improve their business relations and to help make responsible agricultural investment a reality.
Working with Parliamentarians in Africa on Investment Policies
Without investment, sustainable development is impossible. Well-planned, high-quality foreign investment in developed and developing countries can help make current economic practices more sustainable.
The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry
The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry were prepared for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and were adopted in October 2018 by ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) during their annual meeting, held that year in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Toward More Equitable and Sustainable Trade in Food and Agriculture
IISD’s work on trade in food and farm goods seeks to improve the extent to which trade policy supports sustainable development outcomes and expand the space for informed discussion among a wider set of policy actors.
Investment Capacity Building and Advisory Services
The highly qualified international lawyers of IISD’s Investment Program offer advisory services on international investment treaties and contracts, with respect to investment negotiations, implementation and disputes.
Investment Policy Best Practices Advisory Bulletins
Drawing on public treaty texts and different model investment agreements produced by governments, IISD’s Best Practices Series analyzes the evolving scope and nature of investment treaty negotiations, in particular from the developing country and sustainable development perspectives.
More Resources on COVID-19
The current crisis has underscored the need for policymakers to better understand the linkages between health, ecosystems, and sustainable food and agriculture systems to increase bolster countries’ ability to withstand a variety of shocks and crises (i.e. increase resilience) and respond quickly and effectively.
How Are African Governments Responding to Avert a COVID-19 Hunger Crisis?
This Ceres2030 webinar brought together African ministers responsible for agriculture and trade to discuss the measures their countries are taking to avert a hunger crisis by ensuring that livelihoods are secured and food systems remain functional.
Foreign Investment in Decline
UNCTAD predicted last month that COVID-19 would cause a 40% drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2020.
Good Food For All – Averting a COVID-19 hunger crisis
This virtual event is intended to drive investments in the Sustainable Development Goal 2 related to ending hunger via raising awareness of numbers and costs needed.
Events & Publications
Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see?
IISD has reviewed a number of food system visualizations (FSVs) to compare how they focus on and represent different components of food systems and to assess how they cover policy and decision-making priorities, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Speaking Each Other’s Language
When it comes to communicating the research findings of the world's freshwater laboratory, we need to speak to communities in their own languages. Literally.
Sustainable Development in the Year of COVID-19
The global pandemic has brought challenges the likes of which this generation has never seen. But there have also been bright spots worth celebrating.
Canada’s Climate Ambitions Must Include a Resilient Agricultural Sector
It's encouraging to hear Canada commit to funding climate solutions in agriculture, but we are falling behind our peers in tackling emissions.
South Asia - Food and Agricultural Trade in the New Policy Environment: How Can WTO members Support Economic Recovery and Resilience?
This event will be the fourth of a series of events on the same topic but with a regional perspective. The events will cover Africa, South Asia and Latin America.
Africa Launch | The Role of Parliamentarians in Enhancing Responsible Investments in Agriculture for the Transition Toward More Sustainable Food Systems in Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Institute For Sustainable Development (IISD), the Pan-African Parliament, East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament will jointly organize an event on the role of parliamentarians in enhancing responsible investments in agriculture for the transition toward more sustainable food systems in Africa on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.
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Experts
Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder
Executive Director, IISD Europe; Senior Director, Economic Law & Policy
Laura Turley
Associate
Joe Zhang
Senior Law Advisor
Suzy H. Nikièma
Associate
Carin Smaller
Director, Agriculture, Trade & Investment
Francine Picard Mukazi
Policy Advisor
Marina Ruete
Associate
Mohamed Coulibaly
Associate
Sarah Brewin
Associate
Susan H. Bragdon
Associate
Jonathan Hepburn
Senior Policy Advisor
Livia Bizikova
Lead, Monitoring and Governance, Tracking Progress
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