About

Smallholder farmers are the backbone of our agrifood systems, producing a third of the world’s food and up to 70% of all food in Africa. Yet, they experience the climate crisis disproportionately and only receive 0,8% of total climate finance. Building farmers’ resilience is key to ensuring food security. With this in mind, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC) launched in 2021 the Elevating Agricultural Adaptation (EAA) program. The program strives to elevate financial and political commitments to the agricultural adaptation of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, through three pillars of activities: advocacy, capacity building and awareness-raising.

Based on the recommendations from the Global Commission on Adaptation’s flagship report, the BKMC demands action to improve farmers’ productivity by managing risks from increased variability and climate shocks, to address challenges of the most vulnerable, women and youth, to achieve policy coherence and ultimately improve farmers access to information, technologies, finance, and markets.

In the last year alone, Ban Ki-moon and the BKMC team held high-level events at the UNFCCC SBSTA 58 in Bonn, the Africa Climate Summit & Week in Nairobi, the London Climate Action Week, and COP28 in Dubai. Highlighting the urgency of climate adaptation of smallholder farmers at 14 public events around the globe. The BKMC also conducted several mission trips to various countries, holding high-level meetings with Ministers, government representatives, and directors of international institutions.

In terms of EAA’s outreach and awareness-raising efforts, the BKMC has published several interviews and op-eds in traditional media by Co-chair Ban Ki-moon like the Guardian, reaching millions of readers, and reaching over 2.5 million people with its social media efforts.

BKMC will seek to strengthen these partnerships and build new ones around the world to continue highlighting the need for financial and political support to help smallholder farmers adapting to climate change.

What has happened?

Spread our Youth AgriChampions Demand Paper and take action with Global Citizen

Over the summer, under the auspices of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, twenty young dedicated farmers and agripreneurs united to draft a Demand Paper on locally-led adaptation for smallholder farmers. In early September, the Youth AgriChampions presented the demand Paper at the African Food Systems Forum, outlining the top three challenges smallholder farmers face in adapting to the climate crisis and three key demands for the international community. Now, we need your support to ensure  more leaders hear their voices, especially as the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) approaches. Will you help us amplify their demands by sharing this crucial paper with decision-makers?

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Youth Agri Champions Workshop Series

“Youth Agri Champions – make young African farmers be Heard” is a series of 3 Peer2Peer workshops taking place over the Summer of 2023. This workshop series brings together grassroots voices from the world of smallholder farming and agricultural entrepreneurship in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia, to share their on-the-ground experience with adapting their practices to climate change. Based on this, a demand paper will be developed by the Youth Agri Champions and presented to key ministers during bilateral meetings as well as public events at COP28 in Dubai, 2023.

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Agricultural Adaptation Quiz in cooperation with Global Citizen

The issue of climate adaptation demands our full attention. Smallholder farmers, in particular, bear the brunt of climate change’s adverse effects, yet they receive only a marginal part of the available climate finance. To get involved in this topic, take the quiz developed in cooperation with Global Citizen. You can test your knowledge and learn more about how climate adaptation finance works!

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Global Baku Forum 

Between 14-16 March, CEO Monika Froehler attended the 11th edition of the Global Baku Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan with the title ‘‘Fixing the Fractured World’’.

The Forum was organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and hosted fascinating sessions on global peace and security, the current situation in the Middle East, and preparations for COP29 in Azerbaijan, which will happen later this year.

The community agrees that it will be decisive to make strides on climate financing in general, the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), loss and damages and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).

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Elevating Agricultural Adaptation at COP28 in Dubai, UAE 

The BKMC convened a coalition of key voices from governments, science, farming, civil society, and youth at its COP28 side events, urging world leaders to address the immense and precarious agricultural adaptation finance gap.

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Africa Climate Summit 

The BKMC team was on the ground at the Africa Climate Summit where key-decision makers and stakeholders came together to drive green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa and the world. Together with FAO, the BKMC organized a high-level side event on Climate Finance for Adaptation in Agriculture and Food Security in Africa for which Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered welcoming remarks and spoke alongside Ministers and  high-level representatives of FAO,  the African Union Commission and CGIAR.

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London Climate Action Week 2023

The BKMC hosted an official side event at the London Climate Action Week 2023, with Relx. Excellent speakers Board Member Marcia Balisciano, Peter Bentley – FCDO, Sasha Abraham – The CCC, Vidhisha Samarasekara – International Water Management Institute and Youth Agri Champion Tabitha Gichiru discussed agricultural adaptation, climate finance, smallholder farmers & UK’s leadership role in this space.

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Ban Ki-moon in High-level consultations in Germany

Ban Ki-moon emphasized the urgency of agricultural adaptation to climate change during consultations with Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany, and Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

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Creating a sustainable future for agriculture

The BKMC and close partner Global Citizen hosted a closed roundtable to highlight the urgency of climate finance for smallholder farmers and food security between Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development of Norway, Aslak Brun Director-General at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Dr. Octave, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources for Government of Rwanda, Michael Gaffey, Director-General of Development and Cooperation and Africa of Ireland, Dr. Leonard Mizzi Head of Sustainable Agri-food systems EU, Kwagala Elizabeth of Pan African Farmers Organisation and Singer and Global Citizen Ambassador Natasha Bedingfield.

Elevating Agricultural Adaptation at COP27

At COP27, the BKMC alongside CGIAR, Fairtrade, and FAO hosted a multistakeholder dialogue addressing the biggest challenges African youth smallholder farmers are facing in adapting to climate change. Global leaders and young African agripreneurs exchanged innovative and just solutions as well as the demand paper they curated over the summer in their local communities.

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Global Citizen Festival in Accra and New York

Ban Ki-moon Centre Co-chair and 8th United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a clear message to world leaders at the Global Citizen Festival that took place in New York and Accra. We are pleased to see that US$2.4 Billion were announced to address global problems from women and girls’ education, climate change mitigation and adaptation, universal health, and more.

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High-level Roundtable on Climate Adaptation

Leading up to COP27, Ban Ki-moon Centre Co-chair Ban Ki-moon hosted H.E. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment and COP27 Ministerial Coordinator and Envoy, Egypt, H.E. Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Austria,H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates,Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary, Special Envoy for International Climate Action, Germany at a high-level roundtable to enhance global cooperation and progress on scaling up adaptation to climate change.

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Youth Agri Champions Webinar Series

“Youth Agri Champions – make young African farmers be Heard” is a series of 3 Peer2Peer webinars that took place in the Summer of 2022. This webinar series brought together grassroots voices from the world of smallholder farming and agricultural entrepreneurship in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia, to share their on-the-ground experience with adapting their practices to climate change. Based on this, a demand paper was developed by the Youth Agri Champions and presented to key ministers during bilateral meetings as well as public events at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, 2022.

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Take action: 9 tips for growing your own food in a city

People living in cities have a key role to play in changing the global food system. By taking up gardening, people can better understand their place in our food system and learn how to advance change and challenge the climate crisis.

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Take action now: pledge to become a food champion!

Supporting farmers to adapt to climate change is key, but we can also take steps to minimize our impact. Join our challenge to become a food champion – learn about some simple techniques then pledge to take one on. Pledge Now!

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Interview: how can investing in youth leaders combat record unemployment in Nigeria?

Nigeria has been struggling with an unemployment crisis for several years. Former Ban Ki-moon Global Citizen Scholar and Leap Africa Grants and Special Projects Coordinator Oyindamola Adegboye joined a conversation with Global Citizen and highlights a leadership gap that threatens to exclude young people from the job market in Nigeria. Investing in agriculture and youth empowerment is crucial to combat climate change and reduce inequalities.

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Interview: why is agriculture key to ending unemployment in Kenya?

Kenya National Farmers’ Federation Program Officer Loureen Akinyi Awuor and Global Citizen discussed in an interview why agriculture is a “gold mine” of untapped opportunity for youth in Kenya, how agriculture can be improved, and what structural investments need to be made to unlock the country’s potential.

Read the full interview and learn how agriculture can bridge the gap for youth unemployment.

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Take action now: speak up for farmers on the frontline of the climate crisis!

Agriculture needs to be transformed in the decade ahead to minimize its environmental impact, deliver more food for a growing population, and provide stable employment for young people. Call on your world leaders to invest in climate-smart agriculture and youth development. Leave a personal message and tell your leader why smallholder farmers need our help.

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COP26: highlights from the world leaders’ summit

COP26 will be the most important meeting following the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement. I’m counting on world leaders to do their homework for sustainable development and humanity.

Documentary: inside the stories of female farmers impacted by climate change

Global Citizen’s Mwandwe Chileshe – Senior Manager, Food Security, Nutrition & Agriculture visited small farms in rural Zambia to witness the direct impacts of a changing environment, on female farmers as part of our elevating agricultural adaptation advocacy work.

Take action now: Europe: help farmers fight climate change!

Farmers put the food on our plates but urgent support is needed to help them continue doing so. The worst impacted by changes in climate are smallholder farmers who supply a third of the world’s food. We need European leaders to take urgent action to protect and secure access to healthy, regular meals for all. Europe has the opportunity to fund critical demand-driven research, including climate adaptive crops, technologies and smart agricultural practices for farmers under attack from a changing climate.

Urge European leaders including Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and the EU commission to help farmers fight the climate crisis – email now.

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Test yourself now: understand why the situation facing farmers is so urgent

Crops and animals thrive in different conditions but very few smallholder farmers are equipped with resilient crops, drought-proof water supplies, financing and tools needed to pull through under challenging weather conditions.

To end poverty, we must drastically cut emissions and adjust to a warming world. The agriculture sector has developed interventions to help reduce these challenges and ensure we live in a world that is food secure. Take our quiz to learn how and why agriculture needs to adapt to the changing climate.

Test Now

The BKMC teams up with global citizen to advocate for climate resilience in agriculture

This partnership will seek to increase development aid for climate adaptation in agriculture in low-income countries, particularly Africa. As well as seeking understanding of the challenges facing smallholder farmers, the complex dynamics of climate change, and how demand-driven research, such as those championed by CGIAR, accelerates climate adaptation on the ground.

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Climate adaptation summit

The Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 led by Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, hosted by the Netherlands and the Global Center on Adaptation convened over 18,000 registrations, 300 speakers, 160 side events, 32 countries, world leaders, and local stakeholders.

It launched a comprehensive Adaptation Action Agenda and heard of new financial pledges to initiatives to make the world more resilient to the effects of climate change.

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In the media

Our partners

Global Citizen’s vision is a world without extreme poverty by 2030. To achieve this, the organization works with people to make a difference in the present, and focuses on improving the future by changing the systems and policies that keep people in poverty, by utilizing education, communications, advocacy, campaigning, and the media. The organization researches and selects causes to support, and then suggests actions for its members to take in support of those causes. This can include sending tweets to organizations like the United Nations in support of reducing pollution, signing petitions to support gender equality, sending pre-written emails to politicians to increase international aid, or providing rewards to encourage people to get involved. Each cause supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, one of which includes eliminating poverty by 2030.

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