OCP Pledges Sustainable, Equitable Agriculture System at UN Food Systems Summit +2
OCP Stressed its determination to address the challenges posed by the current food system and find innovative solutions for a brighter and more sustainable future.
Sara ZouitenJuly 26, 2023 3:30 p.m.
OCP Pledges Sustainable, Equitable Agriculture System at UN Food Systems Summit +2
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Rabat – Chief Innovation Officer of OCP Group, Leonardus Vergütz, took center stage today at the United Nations Food Systems Summit +2 in Rome, Italy to discuss the private sector’s commitment to achieving a sustainable and equitable food system.
The side event, titled “Private Sector Ambition, Action & Accountability towards Food Systems Transformation: Where are we now and where do we need to go next?” provided a platform for the Moroccan phosphate giant to highlight its contributions and ambitions towards building a healthier, regenerative food system.
Speaking at the event, Vergüz emphasized the importance of addressing the pressing issues in modern agriculture, such as soil degradation and deforestation, which significantly contribute to emissions in the agriculture sector.
He stressed that closing yield gaps through sustainable intensification, a process that increases agricultural yields without adverse environmental impact, is “one of the most important things that we can do in order to solve these issues.”
“If we can produce more sustainable intensification, bringing the right inputs, we can save all this land from deforestation, which is actually responsible for one-third of all the emissions that we have from the agriculture sector,” he explained.
Read also: Morocco’s OCP Renews Commitment Towards Africa’s Agricultural Development
To tackle the carbon footprint associated with agricultural practices, Vergütz underlined OCP’s commitment to reducing emissions through the production of green ammonia.
“At OCP now, we are committed to bringing one millon tons of green ammonia to the market by 2027,” he said, stressing that the ammonia will be solely produced from renewable energy sources, mostly solar energy.
A central theme in his remarks was the need to prioritize sustainable agricultural practices, from sourcing the right nutrients to sequestering carbon in the soil. He highlighted the importance of not only bringing nutrients to plants but also ensuring access to these nutrients for consumers.
“This is why we advocate for and develop the science around the four Rs [Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover], not only bringing the nutrients in the right way, but also bringing the right nutrients,” Vergütz explained.
He further underscored the potential of sustainable agriculture to “sequester” carbon, enhance soil health, safeguard farmers, and make the agricultural sector more resilient in the face of climate challenges.
Empowering African Agriculture
In this respect, Vergütz shared OCP’s efforts to boost agriculture in Africa an empower local farmers, saying that the company is mapping 30 million hectares in the continent and implementing solutions that have significantly improved agricultural productivity and increased carbon sequestration.
“We are bringing customized solutions that have been improving productivity by more than 200% in some of these agriculture systems,” he said.
OCP’s Chief Innovation Officer believes that these sustainable agriculture practices are the key to creating a resilient and sustainable food system. “When we sum all of this, we’re going to have this new type of food system and sustainable agriculture systems that we are looking for,” he explained.
Concluding his remarks, Vergütz stressed that the fertilizer giant is “committed” to combining Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) and Goal 13: Climate Action, emphasizing the potential of agriculture as a powerful tool to simultaneously ensure food security and combat climate change.
The event, which aimed to review progress on prvate sector commitments towards food systems transformation, witnessed participation from several companies, including OCP Group.
It served as a testament to the private sector’s growing role in fostering meaningful change in the global food system and its commitment to investing in sustainable solutions.
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