Food systems across the globe are both a major source of super pollutant emissions and impacted by climate change and air pollution. From the farmer’s field to the consumer’s trash and everything in between, food production and consumption comes with emissions of black carbon, methane, nitrous oxide, and HFCs globally. These emissions also harm plant health and with-it agriculture outputs and human health—through air pollution and extreme weather events. For example, tropospheric ozone is responsible for global crop production losses of 79-121 million tonnes annually.

Focus Areas

• Through the Food & Nutrition Challenge, the CCAC is seeking innovative cross-sector proposals that advance multiple focus areas outlined below:
  • Strengthen the natural cycles, improving at scale nutrient and material flows between rural and urban systems, or within the rural or urban circular/bio economies diverting organic waste for better uses (e.g. landscaping, gardening/farming, bio-based products or others) and boosting resilience through (urban/rural) planning, development, infrastructure, logistics, financial mechanisms including certification and trade, while taking local circumstances and traditions into account;
  • Advance agroecological practices and measures to preserve soils, environment and livelihoods improved food security, resilience to climate change/desertification and nutrition outcomes such as application of the soil conditioner compost/digestate at scale and soil management, crop diversification, intercropping, agroforestry, integrating crop and livestock;
  • Expand along the entire value chain energy-efficient cold, sustainable and inclusive cold-chain services based on low- and ultra-low GWP refrigerants, HFC alternatives or other services that lead to a substantial reduction of food loss, including farmer access to post-harvest product storage and “first mile” infrastructure to transport produce.
  • Support the prevention wastage of edible food or the redistribution of food waste, which is appropriate for consumption, including through infrastructure and greater investment at sub-national level. Proposals responding to this focus area should support the objectives of the COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste.
  • Shape and strengthen financial systems to document GHG emission reductions in a transparent, accountable manner and to create/use clear, subject-related indicators for all GHG/super pollutant emissions sources to demonstrate a wider impact related to framework conditions or replicability or alike, with a clear methodology outlined in the project proposal.

Funding Information

• Estimated project cost: $2,000,000

Eligibility Criteria

• The CCAC can only fund non-profit entities, which include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and government entities.
• For-profit entities are not eligible to receive CCAC funding, though may participate in projects as stakeholders, collaborators, or co-founders. Applicants are encouraged to include for-profit entities in the development of the project proposal and during project implementation when their ownership of the proposed solution is key to the project’s success.
• To be eligible for consideration, project proposals must be:
  • Complete
  • Relevant
  • Submitted on time
  • Within the budget range set in the call for proposals
  • Less than 24 months in duration
  • Compliant with CCAC gender criteria

For more information, visit CCAC.