Briefing note on the 1st Africa Food Security and Adaptation Conference: 20-21 August 2013

The First Africa Food Security & Adaptation Conference: Harnessing Ecosystem-based Approaches for Food Security and Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa was held from 20-21 August 2013 at the UN headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Convened by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), other UN agencies, governments and other stakeholders, the conference explored ecosystem-based approaches to enhance food security, ecosystem productivity and climate change adaptation in Africa. Over 700 participants from 54 countries attended the conference, including representatives of governments, civil society and intergovernmental organisations. This briefing note summarises the presentations made and the discussions held during the conference.
The main outcome of the conference was a “Conference Declaration on Ecosystem-based Approaches for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation,” which among other things recognises ecosystem-based adaptation approaches as the first step towards building resilient food systems and adapting to climate change in Africa.