Caravan to COP27 – PELUM Kenya PELUM Kenya has been participating in Climate Change COP discussions and has a key thematic area on climate change in its current strategic plan 2021 to 2026. PELUM Kenya works closely with climate change actors in Kenya, regionally and continental and is a member of PACJA, AFSA among other like-minded organizations. PELUM Kenya has been participating at national level COP 27 preparatory meetings and is a member of the agriculture sector working group. PELUM Kenya has also been participating in the Africa caravanners online planning meetings and therefore well connected with like-minded partners.

This is an initiative to mobilize Kenya citizenry voices to demand climate justice and more so in the areas of agriculture and climate change investments. Food security is a key sector in Africa’s zeal for climate adaptation, resilience and mitigation and therefore need for crucial attention. This will include a focus on the principles and practices of agriculture that are adaptive to climate change among small holder farmers. The initiative is aimed at influencing COP 27 decisions and will include a series of activities in Kenya such as media influencing, workshops, press releases, and will culminate in participation in COP 27 side events. The initiative will be well aligned and coordinated with a similar approach of COP 27 Africa caravanners.

Despite an insignificant responsibility for climate change, African communities bear a disproportionate burden of its impacts compared to most regions of the world.While COP 26 in Glasgow failed to recognize Africa as a region with special needs and circumstances, and adaptation still remains marginal in global efforts to combat climate change, Africancommunities and their representatives intend to seize the opportunity of COP 27 to continue their fight for climate justice.

PELUMKenya in its mandate works with small scale farmers who form a large portion of population in African context to defend the rights of communities in the face of the climate crisis, is committed to being a catalyst for the demands of African peoples on adaptation,climate finance, loss and damage, and mitigation. The caravans, which will be conducted in different parts of Kenya will constitutea unique community mobilization that will engage indigenous peoples', women's, youth and grassroots movements.

Their objectives will be to: i) Mobilize local communities -including youth and women movements -for climate justice and demand increased mobilization from African governments at COP27to address climate challenges in Africa, ii) Highlight the important role agriculture plays in addressing climate change and therefore call for attention to agro-ecology in climate change discourse and investment in African continent, iii) Highlight the impacts of climate change on African communities and their environment and livelihoods among small scale farmers, iv) Highlight agriculture related climate smart solutions integrated with their traditional and local knowledge, v) Create an inter-communitylearning chain of good practices and nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation, as well as training of youth on climate negotiations in order to prepare them for participation in COY 17 and COP 27 vi) Increase African citizen pressure on theirnational governments and on international negotiations at COP27 to better take into account their realities, priorities and aspirations.