Showcasing the multidimensions of sustainable agricultural solutions for reducing deforestation

FAO invites partners, colleagues and practitioners working across agriculture, forests and climate to join the event “Showcasing the multidimensions of sustainable agricultural solutions for reducing deforestation”. The session brings both sectors into the same conversation and introduces the Solutions-tree: Halting deforestation through sustainable agrifood systems transformation. The launch will show how countries can draw on practical, field-tested measures to curb forest loss while improving food systems and rural livelihoods.

The programme is designed for technical officers, policymakers, development partners and anyone shaping land-use decisions. Participants will hear concise presentations, examples from countries already applying the Solutions-tree, a cross-sector panel discussion, and an outline of how the toolkit will be used in future country support, training and system-wide updates.

 

Why join?

Agriculture and forests are linked in many ways. Forests regulate water, protect soils, store carbon and support biodiversity. They also offer products that many rural families depend on for income and food. But pressures on land, rising commodity demand, weak land governance, and rural poverty continue to drive deforestation in many regions.

Most efforts have focused on direct (proximate) drivers such as agricultural expansion or logging. Yet the underlying drivers – such as market demand, insecure tenure, or limited options for rural producers – often set these pressures in motion. Addressing them requires a practical, cross-sectoral approach.

FAO’s new tool aims to address this need. Developed over two years with input from more than 60 FAO experts and supported by the Government of Japan through the BiG-CHANCE project and the UN-REDD Programme, the tool helps countries map underlying drivers and identify concrete options to address them.

 

What the Solutions-tree offers

A wide range of solutions already exists, and using them together is key to reducing deforestation while strengthening food security, climate action and livelihoods. Therefore, the tool is set to serve two main functions:

• An analytical framework linking solutions to underlying drivers of deforestation to guide national strategies, policy reviews and project design.
• A gateway to existing tools, publications and initiatives, showing what support already exists and how it can be used.

 

Who should attend

This event is for anyone working at the intersection of agriculture, forests and climate. It will be especially useful for government officers involved in land-use planning, REDD+, agrifood systems, or forest policy; technical staff from Rome-based embassies; and FAO colleagues working on agriculture–forestry linkages.

Country teams looking for practical ways to tackle deforestation, regional officers from RAP, RAF and LAC, and partners from initiatives such as the Forests and Food Systems Coalition and UN-REDD will also find the session relevant.

 

Who will speak

The session will open with a short welcome from the moderator, followed by introductory remarks from the leadership of FAO’s Forestry Division. A representative of Japan will then offer opening reflections, recognising the country’s support to the development of the Solutions-tree.

A brief video will introduce the toolkit and set the scene for the main presentation. The core technical team will then walk participants through the Solutions-tree, explaining how it will work, what it will offer, and how countries such as Benin, Uganda and Cambodia will be able to use it to address the underlying drivers of deforestation.

After the presentation, a country example will be shared to illustrate how the Solutions-tree can inform national planning and strategy development. This short segment will show how the toolkit can be applied in practice and how it can support ongoing processes.

The event will then move into a cross-sector panel discussion. Experts from agrifood systems, forestry, agroecology, markets and trade, climate finance and data analysis will explore how their areas can contribute to reducing deforestation. They will discuss practical entry points, enabling conditions and the types of information and incentives needed to guide land-use decisions toward more sustainable outcomes.

A short Q&A will follow, giving participants space to engage directly with the panel.

Before closing, the technical team will outline next steps for the Solutions-tree, including plans for country support in places such as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Zambia, an upcoming e-learning module, a scientific publication and future updates to the online platform.

The formal programme will end with closing remarks from FAO leadership, followed by a short reception for in-person participants.

 

Meeting objectives

The meeting objectives include:

• Highlight the cross-sectoral dimensions of sustainable agricultural solutions for forests and showcase real-world examples that contribute to systemic change.
• Launch the “Solutions-tree: Solutions to halting deforestation – through sustainable agrifood systems transformation”.
• Raise awareness of a diverse range of solutions and approaches to support countries in decoupling agriculture from deforestation and strengthening synergies between agriculture and forestry, in response to the COFO/COAG joint agenda item.

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