Looking back at COP30 in Belém: there will be no effective climate action without transforming food systems

COP30, held in Belém in the Brazilian Amazon, marked a turning point by clearly placing food systems at the heart of climate negotiations. At a time of intensifying climate shocks, and with agriculture employing the majority of Africa’s workforce, African countries spoke with a strong and unified voice to highlight the urgent need to transform agricultural systems towards greater resilience, equity and sustainability.

A major signal was the announcement of new financial commitments in support of smallholder farmers, who remain largely excluded from global climate finance (less than 1% to date). The Gates Foundation announced a USD 1.4 billion investment over four years to support climate adaptation for smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This funding will notably support the deployment of digital decision-support tools, localized climate data, resilient agricultural practices, and innovations in soil health and climate-adapted crops.

Discussions also highlighted adaptation and land restoration as strategic priorities for Africa, through programmes such as the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, which directly embed climate adaptation into agricultural investments. Food system governance was another key theme, with UN agencies, including FAO, calling for stronger alignment between agricultural and nutrition policies and national climate commitments.

During the summit, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima urged leaders to move “from promises to action,” stressing that effective climate action will depend on fairer financing mechanisms that reflect the realities of developing countries.

Ultimately, COP30 confirmed a growing awareness: there will be no effective climate action without transforming food systems. A central question now remains: will these commitments translate swiftly into concrete and lasting action for farmers and the most vulnerable communities?

In this context, the COLEAD commits to actively contributing to the transformation of food systems by supporting agricultural stakeholders in adopting more resilient, inclusive and sustainable practices, and by helping ensure that international climate commitments are translated into tangible impacts for producers and territories.