The focus of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) on 19 November was on the interconnectedness of food, agriculture, and water resources in addressing climate change. A key initiative, the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers, was launched to foster collaboration among various climate initiatives, with an emphasis on transforming agriculture and food systems. This initiative aims to create a shared vision by offering a knowledge-sharing platform, making agrifood investments more attractive to development banks, and empowering farmers especially women and youth to build climate-resilient communities.
Family farmers, who produce over 80% of the world’s food by value, face disproportionate climate risks. Despite their critical role in global food security, they receive only 0.3% of the world’s public international climate finance. This imbalance underscores the urgent need for greater financial support to help farmers adapt to climate challenges and ensure food sustainability. The event highlighted the importance of empowering family farmers by increasing access to long-term funding and giving them a voice in climate negotiations.
The Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative is part of a broader push to integrate agriculture into global climate agendas. Past and present COP Presidencies have made strides in creating synergies between food, agriculture, and climate action. The initiative builds on efforts from COP 27’s FAST Partnership and COP 28’s UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action. These initiatives aim to support the transformation of agriculture, address greenhouse gas emissions from the sector, and ensure long-term sustainability.
The theme of food, agriculture, and water was explored through a series of side events. One key discussion focused on regional cooperation in managing water, energy, food, and ecosystems. The event highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in addressing climate impacts and emphasized two important documents: the UN-Water Analytical Brief on Water for Climate Mitigation and an action-oriented document on transboundary water management. The focus was on how regional cooperation can optimize the management of these interconnected resources, enabling countries to develop more sustainable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.
A ministerial meeting for the FAST Partnership demonstrated the progress made in ensuring a sustainable and resilient agrifood sector. The partnership, launched at COP 27, aims to accelerate the transformation of global agrifood systems, foster collaboration, and help countries build resilient and sustainable food systems. The meeting also underscored the importance of youth-driven projects, the role of universities in shaping agrifood systems, and the contribution of the private sector.
Another side event focused on how to expand and structure climate finance to empower family farmers in the context of climate adaptation and resilience. This event emphasized the critical role of family farmers in food security, despite their vulnerability to climate change. The event highlighted that family farmers need more financial support to sustain food production, and participants discussed initiatives that could be scaled up through a trust fund for empowering farmers. Representatives from governments, international organizations, and private sector stakeholders explored ways to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of climate finance for farmers.
Additionally, a session on climate finance for carbon capture and storage (CCS) discussed how emerging economies can access financial and technical support to scale up CCS projects. Panelists discussed financial mechanisms, such as carbon credit trading systems, that could help reduce the costs of CCS projects, making them more feasible in developing countries. Experts also addressed the role of US tax incentives in encouraging CCS projects and the potential for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to reduce CCS costs globally.
These events reflect a growing recognition of the need to address the interconnected challenges of food, water, and agriculture in the context of climate change. The initiatives discussed at COP 29 underscore the importance of collaboration, financial investment, and the involvement of farmers, especially family farmers, in creating sustainable and resilient food systems for the future.
