FAO Warns Climate Finance Gap Threatens Agrifood Systems Transformation at COP30
At the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) held in Belém, Brazil, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued a crucial warning: a persistent shortfall in climate finance severely threatens the global transformation of agrifood systems necessary to meet the Paris Agreement climate targets. Despite agrifood systems’ potential to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by up to one-third, investment in this sector remains disproportionately low, representing a significant missed opportunity in the fight against climate change.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu conveyed the organisation’s message to the Summit’s General Plenary Leaders Dialogue, emphasising that science-based agrifood solutions have a vital role in cutting emissions, enhancing carbon sequestration, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening resilience. These efforts are essential not only to mitigate climate change but also to ensure food security and nutrition for the 1.2 billion people worldwide whose livelihoods depend on agrifood systems.
Among the innovative solutions highlighted, agroforestry projects in Brazil’s Amazon region stand out. These projects restore degraded lands while supporting local communities, providing a triple win for biodiversity, food diversity, and climate action. This example illustrates how well-designed agriculture interventions can simultaneously bolster ecosystems and rural livelihoods.
However, FAO revealed that forestry, livestock, fisheries, and crop production received only 4 percent of total climate-related development finance in 2023, despite growing contributions from mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and Global Environment Facility. “For a sector that can deliver a third of global emission reductions, this gap is not only unequal—it is a lost opportunity,” QU stated. Overlooking agrifood systems ignores one of the most effective pathways toward low-emission, sustainable growth.
An important feature of COP30 was the launch of the Call to Action on Integrated Fire Management and Wildfire Resilience, which FAO Director-General QU Dongyu addressed in a thematic session on forests and oceans. Spearheaded by Brazil and endorsed by 50 countries alongside FAO, the International Tropical Timber Organization, and the UN Environment Programme, the initiative promotes a shift from reactive fire suppression toward proactive, prevention-focused strategies.
The Call to Action proposes 22 strategic measures to enhance wildfire prevention, empower local communities, and strengthen transboundary cooperation, emphasising a combination of scientific knowledge, traditional practices, and modern technology. The FAO-hosted Global Fire Management Hub serves as a pivotal platform coordinating implementation efforts with countries and regional networks.
COP30 serves as a critical platform for FAO to advocate for integrating agriculture and food security centrally within climate negotiations, addressing topics such as the Global Goal on Adaptation, loss and damage, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans, climate finance, and just transition strategies.
Aligned with the COP30 Presidency’s Action Agenda, FAO supports new initiatives focusing on agriculture, forests, and bioeconomy. The Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership continues as a mechanism bridging COP dialogues and post-COP actions. Through FAST, the Resilient Agriculture Investment for Net Zero Land Degradation (RAIZ) accelerator works globally to mobilise investments for restoring degraded agricultural lands, essential to climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
The Global Fire Management Hub contributes directly to ecosystem conservation and restoration goals under the Action Agenda. Moreover, FAO co-hosts the Food and Agriculture Pavilion for the fourth year running with CGIAR, fostering multistakeholder dialogue within and alongside COP negotiations, while also contributing to the Forest Pavilion as Chair of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
Throughout COP30, FAO is launching various publications and policy briefs, including updated analyses on the interactions between agriculture, food systems, and climate change; evaluations of Global National Adaptation Plans; reports on climate-related development finance to agrifood systems; and research on the climate benefits of forests, trees, and the effects of extreme heat on agriculture.
For Zimbabwe, a country highly vulnerable to climate variability, these developments are particularly resonant. Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 recognises the urgent need for climate-resilient agricultural transformation to secure food production and livelihoods. Aligning with FAO’s focus, Zimbabwe has embarked on initiatives promoting sustainable farming practices, forestry management, and land restoration to adapt to climate challenges. However, as FAO highlights, mobilisation of adequate climate finance remains a significant hurdle.
Closing this funding gap at national and international levels could unlock transformative opportunities for Zimbabwe’s agrifood sectors—empowering smallholder farmers, reducing emissions, restoring degraded lands, and building resilience against future climate shocks. Such efforts will be critical to meeting global climate commitments while supporting Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development and food security ambitions.
**FFA Explainer Box: National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)**
NAPs are country-led strategies that outline how nations plan to adapt agriculture and other sectors to climate change impacts, ensuring no one is left behind in climate resilience efforts.
In summary, COP30 underscores that science-driven, well-financed agrifood system transformation is an indispensable pathway to mitigating climate change while safeguarding nutrition and livelihoods worldwide. FAO’s leadership highlights the pressing need for political will and financial commitment to unlock this potential—ensuring a sustainable future for people and the planet alike.
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