TCA Accelerator at COP16

The Accelerator is co-organizing an event at the CGIAR Pavilion. More details to be added soon.

Many countries aim for sustainable food systems, which provide nutritious food equitably while advancing economic, social, and environmental objectives. However, most food systems generate substantial damaging environmental, social, and health impacts that are not reflected in the market prices of goods or services, including threats to biodiversity. At the same time, approaches that generate value for people and nature are largely unrecognized and unrewarded. True cost accounting (TCA) is a method that systematically measures and values positive and negative impacts to reveal the “true cost” of food production. As a result, TCA can provide decision makers with a roadmap to create healthy, sustainable food systems that help solve global challenges

During this session, researchers will present the findings of their TCA analyses and share their experience communicating/socializing the findings with local policymakers. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion, with the following talking points:

• How can TCA help us mainstream accounting for the negative impacts of food systems that are currently uncosted, and often, unaddressed?
• How can TCA enable policymakers to make better decisions for nature, balancing complex trade-offs?
• What lessons have been learned from CGIAR scientists on this project, and how can these lessons help others wishing to undertake TCA analyses for decision-making?