The disconnect between commodities and landscapes was under discussion in Bonn, Germany during a side event hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre at the 40th session of the Subsidiary Bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
While landscapes may not provide direct benefits to business, they do provide many of the long-term services that sustain the productivity of the business.
During the event, titled Connecting commodities to landscapes through public-private-civic partnerships, a panel of experts discussed some of the reasons why businesses engage at landscape scales.
Henry Neufedlt, head of climate change research at the World Agroforestry Centre outlined how there are many ways to interpret a landscape and its functionality which involve multiple stakeholders, and need to be considered in sustaining a landscape and its natural resources.
He explained that for private companies, such as cocoa and coffee producers, the landscape is conventionally a source of input to production that creates commodities to sell for profit. Some businesses take more responsibility for sustaining the landscape they profit from, and see the benefits.
Examples of businesses engaging in a landscape approach and their motivations, including teaming up with other stakeholders to manage long-term risks, were provided by Gabrielle Kissinger, Principal of Lexeme Consulting.
Read a summary of the event on CCAFS website: Business as usual? Why landscapes matter to private sector stakeholders
Download the policy brief: Climate finance for agriculture and livelihoods
