-Liberia’s first National Climate Justice Summit ends with Call for Action on Climate Financing
By Jerromie S. Walters
Civil society organizations, government ministries, academia, farmers’ organizations, media representatives, international NGOs, and the private sector convened at the National Summit on Agro ecology and Climate Justice. The event, held from October 30th to November 1st, 2024, centered on the theme “Climate Financing for Agro ecology and Renewable Energy,” under the auspices of the Strategic Partnership Agreement Project.
The summit brought together over 400 participants, including young activists, traditional leaders, policymakers, community leaders, security personnel, rural women, and various stakeholders from the agricultural sector. The primary objective was to promote agroecology by sharing field results, knowledge, and innovative practices that support sustainability and equitable adaptation measures for vulnerable communities. Public-private partnerships aimed at enhancing market access for sustainably produced agroecological goods were also emphasized to encourage broader adoption across Liberia.
During the summit, participants commended the Government of Liberia and various agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Rural Renewable Energy Agency, for their commitment to fostering resilience in the face of climate change. However, the summit also highlighted critical challenges facing the country.
Key Observations and Challenges
Liberia grapples with severe food and nutrition insecurity, exacerbated by inadequate public investment in agriculture and climate financing, delayed budget releases, and the adverse effects of climate change, such as flooding that devastates farmland and livelihoods. The summit underscored the need for more initiatives focused on agroecology and climate justice to help communities sustainably produce nutritious food.
Research indicates that while developing countries, including Liberia, utilize only 25% of the world’s chemical pesticides, they suffer 99% of the negative impacts associated with these chemicals. The World Health Organization reported that in 2019, approximately 385 million farmers globally were victims of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning, with many cases occurring in Africa.
Additionally, issues related to land rights have hindered food production, limiting access for smallholder farmers and youth. Poor climate financing continues to exacerbate the challenges of climate change and increase climate injustice, while a lack of sufficient research hampers the advancement of agroecologicalpractices in Liberia.
Despite an investment of $88.25 million in renewable energy projects between 2021 and 2023, only about 28% of Liberia’s population had access to electricity as of 2023, with renewable sources contributing merely 10% to the country’s total electricity generation, according to the World Bank.
Call to Action
In light of these challenges, the summit participants issued a comprehensive call to action, to Increase the budget for agroecology and extension services to enhance food production and reduce hunger and develop a framework with measurable indicators for climate financing commitments across sectors.
More to it is the need to Create a comprehensive strategy under the Ministry of Agriculture to scale up agroecology programs, clarify the focus on agroecology and climate justice within relevant government ministries, Prioritize Land Rights and Access: Implement land rights laws to ensure women and youth can access and control land for agricultural production, enhance extension services with more resources and personnel, particularly targeting women and youth.
In addition, the body recommended the need for government to establish a fund focused on supporting agroecology initiatives across communities, increase funding for agricultural research to promote agroecological practices, Prioritize markets for agroecological produced food to ensure sustainability, encourage nature-friendly farming systems and the creation of green jobs, Promote reforms to ensure smallholder women and youth farmers have access to farmland, Promote equitable wealth distribution to support financial inclusion and foster innovative climate solutions led by women and youth.
Among other recommendations was the need to Prohibit the importation of harmful chemicals to facilitate sustainable agricultural practices, Ensure comprehensive implementation of the NDC with involvement from all stakeholders, enhance knowledge among women, youth, and local communities regarding renewable energy, and ensure that local communities, women, and youth are included in renewable energy policy implementation.
Conclusion
The summit concluded with a strong resolve among participants to take immediate action on these recommendations to foster a sustainable and resilient agricultural sector in Liberia and beyond. The event was endorsed by numerous organizations, including ActionAid Liberia, the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia, and the National Civil Society Council of Liberia, reflecting a unified commitment to advancing agroecology and climate justice in the region.
