Midterm Update
- Canada*
- China*
- Costa Rica*
- West Africa*
- The Netherlands*
*to be added
Midterm Update
As the Solving Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus (Solving-FCB) partnership is a comprehensive global initiative bringing together Indigenous leaders, coastal communities, researchers, NGOs, and governments to collaboratively address complex sustainability challenges at the intersection of food security and equity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation, collectively termed the Food-Climate-Biodiversity (FCB) Nexus. As the partnership reaches its midpoint, substantial progress has been achieved toward addressing one of the most complex global sustainability challenges: practical and equitable solutions to sustainably ensuring global food security in the face of climate change, while preserving biodiversity.
The partnership has built strong collaborations with more than 50 researchers, Indigenous leaders, policy actors, and NGO partners in five continents Initial co-design workshops and partnership meetings have effectively defined and refined the scientific direction and objectives of the initiative.
It is our pleasure to announce that as we pass the halfway mark, all mid-term targets and objectives have been successfully achieved! Detailing these will be a regular series of updates on SolvingFCB.org, and this overview page will be updated regularly with links to each page.
Case Studies
Canada
In Canada, collaborative efforts with the Tla’amin Nation involve the co-development of community-driven scenarios and analytical models designed to support climate-resilient food security strategies. This work contributes directly to Indigenous-led governance frameworks and aligns with the implementation of the Nation’s modern-day treaty, emphasizing the critical role traditional food systems play in adapting to climate impacts. View Canada Midterm Update
China
In China, the partnership has conducted extensive research on seaweed aquaculture in collaboration with local producers. The study evaluated the potential of seaweed farming to serve as a sustainable method for food production, carbon sequestration, and habitat restoration, highlighting its multifaceted environmental and economic benefits. View China Midterm update
Costa Rica
In Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya, the partnership engaged local fishers and community organizations in co-designing and implementing nature-based solutions. These initiatives, including habitat restoration and the development of alternative livelihoods, aim to enhance fisheries productivity and promote coastal ecosystem health. View Costa Rica Midterm update
West Africa
In West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Benin-Togo), researchers have identified and documented key challenges within the FCB nexus, including illegal fishing activities, environmental pollution, and gender inequities in fisheries. Through community-based visioning exercises and scenario workshops utilizing the Nature Futures Framework, the partnership has collaboratively developed solutions tailored to local needs. View West Africa Midterm update
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the team has developed frameworks aimed at learning from current transitions in farming, aquaculture, and fisheries sectors. These frameworks support the advancement of resilient and nature-inclusive food systems capable of addressing contemporary sustainability challenges. View Netherlands Midterm Update
The partnership has expanded through associated projects led by Solving-FCB members. These include projects in Africa and South Asia (supported by the World Bank), Eastern Tropical Pacific region (supported by Lenfest Ocean Program), Canadian Beaufort Sea (supported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and deep-sea mining (supported by Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy).
Cross-case analyses have begun synthesizing insights from these regional studies, revealing several common themes, including the pivotal roles of small-scale and Indigenous fisheries in sustainable ocean management, the importance of historical and contemporary dietary practices in informing resilient seafood systems, and the critical role of participatory decision-making processes in equitable biodiversity-fisheries-aquaculture interactions. Additionally, the partnership emphasizes integrating local community knowledge into habitat restoration strategies and identifying both opportunities and challenges associated with aquaculture as a key sustainability approach.
To date, the Solving-FCB initiative has trained 51 students and emerging scholars in essential methodologies such as system modeling, scenario planning, bioeconomic modeling, and community-based research techniques. Active policy engagement through workshops, briefings, and participation in international forums has complemented these academic and community-oriented efforts (see our policy engagement activities). Students and emerging scholars have played key roles in organizing and contributing to these events, gaining valuable experiential learning opportunities. The partnership’s public outreach activities include blog posts, media engagement, and stakeholder-driven events, ensuring that research outputs translate into equitable, community-informed, and evidence-based sustainability solutions.
