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Food systems have moved from the sidelines to the centre of climate action, as COP30 aims to embed agriculture within the Paris framework for resilience and mitigation.
Image Source: Getty Images
This article is part of the essay series: Expectations from COP30
When the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, food systems occupied a peripheral place in global climate negotiations. Yet, over the past decade, the world has learned that the goals of limiting temperature rise (Article 2) and strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity (Article 7) are inseparable from growth, trade, and consumption of food. While agriculture remains responsible for nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate impacts are eroding yields, disrupting supply chains, and intensifying food insecurity—particularly for smallholders in developing economies. The past decade has therefore seen a gradual but decisive reframing: from viewing agriculture as a victim of climate change to recognising it as a critical lever for both adaptation and mitigation. As Parties convene in Belém for COP30, the challenge is to institutionalise this recognition—transforming political declarations into a structured work programme under the Paris framework, and aligning the financial flows enshrined in Article 9 to scale climate-smart agriculture, enhance food security, and protect livelihoods across a warming world. At COP28, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action elevated food and agriculture to the heart of the climate agenda. Endorsed by over 150 countries, it recognised that “any path to achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement must include agriculture and food systems” and urged integration of these sectors into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and Long-Term Strategies by 2025. This marked a turning point: the political recognition that food systems are indispensable to achieving the temperature and adaptation goals of the Paris Agreement.
The past decade has therefore seen a gradual but decisive reframing: from viewing agriculture as a victim of climate change to recognising it as a critical lever for both adaptation and mitigation.
However, political declarations must now evolve into institutionalised work programmes within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) architecture. As COP30 in Belém approaches, it presents the first real opportunity to transform the Dubai momentum into structured, resourced, and accountable action.
Institutionalisation begins with the creation of a dedicated UNFCCC work programme on agriculture and food systems, analogous to the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) framework but directly linked to both mitigation and adaptation outcomes. Such a programme would formalise the UAE Declaration’s vision by establishing a clear mandate, timeline (2025–2030), and reporting channel through the Subsidiary Bodies. It would synchronise agriculture-related actions with the global stocktake, enabling systematic assessment of how food systems contribute to closing emissions and adaptation gaps. This work programme should rest on three pillars: integrating food systems into national climate plans, mobilising adaptation finance for smallholders, and strengthening Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems for agricultural resilience. The Technical Cooperation Collaborative, launched under the UAE Presidency, offers an early model for coordinating partners and tracking implementation.
Furthermore, to translate intent into impact, COP30 must restructure climate finance flows under Article 9 so that they explicitly address agriculture and smallholder adaptation. Currently, less than 4 percent of global climate finance supports agrifood systems, and only 1.7 percent reaches small-scale producers. This imbalance undermines both adaptation and mitigation. Smallholders rarely access large loans or carbon-credit markets. COP30 should institutionalise guidance for direct-access modalities that channel funds through national entities, cooperatives, and rural financial institutions. Blended-finance mechanisms, first-loss guarantees, and climate-risk insurance can de-risk investments while protecting farmers from debt traps.
Currently, less than 4 percent of global climate finance supports agrifood systems, and only 1.7 percent reaches small-scale producers. This imbalance undermines both adaptation and mitigation.
The third factor revolves around scaling Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), which requires more than farm-level interventions. The apparatus for such an initiative depends on enabling systems—rural infrastructure, research, extension, and digital services. Public investments should prioritise resilient seed systems, soil and water conservation, agro-meteorological networks, and market access infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses and create market pull for climate-friendly produce. Without such investments, CSA remains fragmented and unsustainable. The UAE Declaration explicitly calls for “enhancing innovation, research, and knowledge exchange” to accelerate adaptation and mitigation in agriculture.
Across socio-cultural realms, women, youth, and indigenous producers form the backbone of smallholder agriculture yet face the steepest barriers to credit, land, and extension. The UAE Declaration’s pledge to prioritise “food security and nutrition for vulnerable groups” must become an operational requirement. COP30 can mandate gender-responsive budgeting and inclusive governance criteria across all food-system finance. Direct-access entities should be required to demonstrate gender-equality and social-inclusion results. In addition, local and regional farmer organisations must be empowered to design and manage adaptation projects, strengthening ownership and accountability.
Women, youth, and indigenous producers form the backbone of smallholder agriculture yet face the steepest barriers to credit, land, and extension.
Finally, COP30 should call for national policy reviews to align agricultural subsidies, trade, and food-security measures with climate goals. Many current incentives encourage high-GHG inputs and monoculture cropping. Redirecting public support towards agro-ecological, diversified, and regenerative practices can yield both mitigation and adaptation dividends. The UAE Declaration already urges governments to “revisit policies and public support” for this purpose.
In essence, the goals of Articles 2 and 7 cannot be achieved without decarbonising and diversifying global food systems, and strengthening the resilience of agriculture and the smallholders who sustain it. By embedding food systems formally within the Paris architecture, setting measurable targets, and mobilising resources to scale climate-smart agriculture, the global community can deliver on the promise of a climate-resilient, food-secure future—where mitigation and adaptation work hand-in-hand to nourish both people and the planet.
Shoba Suri is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation
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Dr. Shoba Suri is a Senior Fellow with ORFs Health Initiative. Shoba is a nutritionist with experience in community and clinical research. She has worked on nutrition, ...
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