COP30 - New FAO report updates evidence base on linkages between climate,agriculture and food systems

A new White Paper released Monday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) aims to bring together, in one place, a host of recent research findings and offers a synthesis of information on the myriad interactions between agriculture, food systems and climate change.

The report will be presented at the event “Transforming agrifood systems through climate science” (Science for Climate Action Pavilion) on 17 November (9:30–10:30, GMT -3) on the sidelines of the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.

“Update on scientific findings on the interactions between agriculture, food systems and climate change” is designed to aid FAO and other UN agencies in the prioritization of their programs and implementation based on the latest science. It offers a comprehensive resource authored by leading scientists to help policy makers, researchers, the media and the public base their actions on the best available evidence, while also aiming to support the next assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Its core message is that the greatest untapped potential to adapt to a changing climate, cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet the Paris Agreement lies in investing in sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

“The survival of human beings is at stake,” the report states.

The 300-page document includes contributions from more than 60 scientists from 26 countries and takes a systems-based approach to exploring how techniques ranging from soil carbon management and plant and animal genetics to remote sensing and consumer-led efforts to reduce food loss and waste can contribute to climate action. Importantly, the authors highlight research gaps that, if filled, could more robustly drive policy in the future.

The white paper builds on a similar output from 2019, the first to report emissions from agrifood systems – estimated to account for around 30 percent of all anthropogenic GHG emissions – bringing to bear the considerable amount of research and development since then in areas such as livestock, bioenergy and aquatic food production, as well as the growing corpus of empirical research on pertinent subjects. It will serve as a basis for discussions at a meeting in early 2026 hosted by FAO and the IPCC to analyze the interactions between agrifood systems and the climate crisis ahead of the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report.

The path is clear, the road still long

The report has 12 chapters, presenting broad framing and context, and exploring emerging issues regarding soil, crops, sustainable and integrated agricultural systems, livestock, oceans and coastal areas, aquatic food production, technological advances, food systems, policy and governance, and water scarcity.

The science is clear about how different agrifood systems solutions contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts as well as enhancing resilience and adaptation.

Among its findings is the calculation that enhancing soil carbon management in croplands – which would require continuing mapping exercises and for which agroforestry has high demonstrated potential - could be an affordable away to reduce global GHG emissions by a midpoint estimate of 1.9 gigatonnes of CO2e each year through 2050, improve soil heath, and protect yields. Applying sustainable practices such as cover cropping, mulching, crop residue management and soil amendments could sequester the equivalent of more than one quarter of the annual increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide while improving soil health.

Restoring coastal wetlands on flooded lands could slash global GHG emissions by 0.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year through 2050, while improving rice cultivation – a significant source of methane – has the potential to do the same. Sustainable livestock management practices, such as efforts targeting enteric fermentation – the cause of the high methane footprint of cows – by methods such as novel feed solutions could reduce GHG emissions by around 0.8 gigatonnes of CO2e.

The report’s authors are clear that achieving potential benefits will require more concrete research in many cases. For example, despite substantial efforts to promulgate a consumer-led shift towards sustainable healthy diets, cost aspects have rarely been assessed, and when they have the results are alarming. Likewise, GHG mitigation opportunities related to food waste are recognized as substantial, but detailed analyses of how individual households can be convinced to engage in effective behavioral change are lacking.

The white paper also notes that, despite the magnitude and diversity of GHG emissions from agrifood systems, we are a long way from having internationally standardized system boundaries, harmonized methodological approaches and transparent protocols for quantifying GHG emissions and removals across all agrifood system activities.

Related links

• Update on scientific findings on the interactions between agriculture, food systems and climate change
• Interactive story: 5 science-backed solutions for a climate-resilient future
• FAO at COP30
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change