FAO strengthens ties with Brazil to elevate food and agricultural priorities for COP30

Brasília, March 26, 2025 – A high-level delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), led by Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, concluded a strategic mission to Brasília aimed at strengthening collaboration with Brazil ahead of COP30.

With the conference set to take place in the heart of Amazon Forest in Belém this November, the visit reinforced FAO’s commitment to working with the Presidency to place agriculture and food security at the center of the climate negotiations and action agenda.

Over three days of discussions with key government officials, FAO reaffirmed its support for Brazil’s vision of integrating agriculture, forests, and food security into climate actions. The delegation engaged with multiple ministries, including those of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Climate Change, Agriculture and Livestock, Rural Development and Fisheries and Aquaculture, as well as leading research institutions and representatives from the agribusiness sector.

The overarching theme of the conversations was the need to scale up sustainable and resilient agricultural practices to deliver on both climate aspirations and food security needs. “Without scaling up resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems, including restoration of degraded agricultural land, agroforestry and sustainable forest management, countries will not be able to achieve the Paris Agreement,” emphasized Mr. Zahedi. “This includes increasing climate investments in both adaptation and mitigation through agriculture and food systems, and we look forward to supporting Brazil in shaping this agenda at COP30, just as we have done in previous climate conferences," he added. 

The discussions underscored FAO’s commitment to fostering cross-sectoral collaboration to tackle climate change, with COP-to-COP initiatives such as the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) and Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers.

Brazil’s vision for COP30

As host of COP30, Brazil is committed to making the conference a turning point in global climate action. Marina Silva, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, emphasized the importance of aligning agriculture and forests with climate strategies while ensuring broad societal engagement. “Social participation is the cornerstone of any effective environmental policy. We must ensure that the voices of rural communities, smallholders, and marginalized groups are heard and integrated into the decisions that shape our land use and environmental strategies,” she said.

Brazil sees COP30 as an opportunity to align climate action with sustainable development and poverty reduction. The country’s presidency letter calls for a “global mutirão” (collective effort) to address the climate crisis, emphasizing that cooperation is the only path to real progress. FAO remains a key partner in translating this vision into action, supporting Brazil’s leadership in ensuring agrifood system solutions are climate solutions. 

The role of agriculture in the climate agenda was reinforced by Paulo Teixeira, Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, who stressed the need for climate finance to reach smallholders and support crucial sustainable practices such as agroforestry and bioeconomy initiatives.

Secretary Pedro Alves Correa Neto at Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock underlined the significance of the agriculture sector in achieving climate goals. “We need to show that agriculture can contribute positively to both food security and climate action. Technologies like integrated crop-livestock-forestry and sustainable cattle ranching are part of this transition, where we aim to increase productivity without harming the environment.”  

Beyond government institutions, FAO also met some of the key players in Brazil’s agribusiness and research sectors. At the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), President Silvia Massruhá highlighted ongoing efforts to develop agricultural technologies, including carbon footprint calculators and land restoration techniques suited to tropical agriculture, which could serve as models for other countries through South-South cooperation.

Brazil has long been a key player in global climate governance. The 1992 Earth Summit (Rio 92) laid the foundation for international environmental frameworks, reinforcing the connection between climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development.

Recent years have seen growing international attention on the critical role of agrifood systems across the three major UN environmental Conferences of the Parties (COPs). Financing stood out as a crucial issue — agrifood systems accounted for less than 5% of total global climate finance in 2019-2020 and represented 23% of total climate-related development finance in 2022, a decline from 37% in the previous decade.

As preparations for COP30 intensify, FAO’s collaboration with Brazil will be instrumental in translating commitments into tangible actions. With Brazil calling for collective action, financial mobilization, and science-based policies to address the climate crisis, the FAO-Brazil partnership is set to play a key role in shaping discussions that will define COP30 and beyond.