Key outcomes, initiatives, and finance gaps shaping agrifood systems transformation
Axis 3 of the COP30 Action Agenda and the FAO Perspective
The Thirtieth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) was held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10–21, 2025. Taking place in the Amazon region, the conference carried strong symbolic and practical significance for land, food, and nature based climate solutions. Agriculture, food systems, and land use were positioned firmly within the COP30 Presidency’s Action Agenda as a delivery-focused pillar rather than a peripheral negotiation stream.
Under Axis 3: Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems, the Presidency emphasized that restoring land, strengthening food systems, and ensuring equitable access to food and nutrition are indispensable for climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
Axis 3 of the Action Agenda focused on three interlinked objectives:
- Land restoration and sustainable agriculture
- More resilient, adaptive, and sustainable food systems
- Equitable access to adequate food and nutrition for all
The COP30 Action Agenda noted encouraging progress, including declining emissions intensity in parts of the agrifood sector. However, chronic underinvestment, widespread land degradation, and weak enabling policy environments continue to constrain transformation. These challenges framed the suite of solutions accelerated at COP30, with support from organizations including FAO and UNCCD.
The RAIZ Accelerator
A cornerstone outcome led by Brazil and supported by a global coalition (including Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the UK), RAIZ aims to restore millions of hectares of degraded farmland. It supports mapping degraded land and developing financing tools capable of mobilizing private capital.
Complementing RAIZ, the USD 5 billion Smallholder-Led Restoration Plan committed to restoring 20 million hectares of land and supporting 20 million smallholder households by 2030. Spanning 20 countries, it represents the largest smallholder-driven natural carbon removal program globally.
The Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes reported over USD 9 billion in committed investments from more than 40 organizations. This represents a more than fourfold increase from 2023, reaching 12 million farmers across 110 countries.
The TERRA Initiative
Together for the Expansion of Resilient and Restorative Agroecology and Agroforestry (TERRA) was launched to scale transitions. Led by Brazil’s Ministry of Agrarian Development in partnership with FAO’s Forest and Farm Facility, TERRA positions family farmers and Indigenous Peoples as central actors in climate mitigation.
Brazil and the United Kingdom jointly announced the COP30 Plan to Accelerate Fertilizer Solutions, alongside the Belém Declaration on Fertilizers. The plan addresses emissions and overuse—which causes ecosystem damage valued at USD 3.4 trillion annually—while tackling underuse in regions like Africa.
COP30 marked a turning point for agricultural methane through plans led by the Clean Air Task Force and the Global Methane Hub, which committed USD 30 million to the Rice Methane Innovation Accelerator.
Innovation was further advanced through AgriLLM, the world’s first open-source large language model for agriculture, enabling locally relevant digital advisory tools. AIM for Scale announced plans to reach 100 million farmers with digital services.
Plans to accelerate Blue Transformation and algae aquaculture were highlighted as nature-positive solutions. In parallel, the Rockefeller Foundation linked regenerative agriculture with school feeding programs, while a coalition led by the Global Food Banking Network launched plans to reduce food recovery and loss across 50 countries.
FAO Leadership and the Agrifood Finance Gap
Throughout COP30, FAO emphasized a critical disparity: agrifood systems can deliver up to one-third of global emissions reductions, yet receive only 4% of climate-related development finance.
While negotiations still lag in fully mainstreaming food systems, COP30 demonstrated unprecedented readiness for implementation. Closing the finance gap remains the primary challenge to translating ambition into durable system change.
The challenge now is to translate momentum into durable systems change where climate action, food security, and livelihoods advance together.
References
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2025). Global Climate Action Agenda at COP30: Outcomes report. Climate High Level Champions & Marrakech Partnership.
CIMMYT. (2025). COP30 places agriculture at the center of climate action.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2025). COP30: FAO brings agrifood systems to the forefront of climate action.
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