Food security has emerged as an important aspect of the sustainability conversation with a 2025 United Nations report stating that 8.2% of the global population experienced severe hunger in 2024. Given the urgency of the situation, it is vital for nations to implement resilient agricultural and food systems which guarantee chronic hunger does not become an issue in underdeveloped regions.
But, how can these measures be achieved and what points need to be discussed during this year’s COP30 deliberations? This article will examine the importance of transformation agriculture and the need to build resilient food systems.
Why is Agricultural and Food System Transformation important to the COP30 Agenda?
It goes without saying that food security occupies an essentially central seat in the heart of today’s sustainability crisis as the adverse effects of climate change are effectively causing food shortages and the global hunger percentage. Additionally, these are key issues on this topic that have made it vital to COP30 discussions:
The Dual Role in Climate Change
Despite their essential nature, it is important to acknowledge that food systems exist as significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. This is due to a combination of agricultural activities, changes in land use and post-production processes. However, to a degree, these systems also hold the solutions for cutting back on these same emissions and effective carbon capturing.
Ensuring Food Security and Resilience
Food resilience is an essential competence in curbing shortages and transforming existing agricultural and food systems. To that end, the primary objective during COP30 in Brazil is to guarantee effective food security and nutrition while promoting climate resilient measures. With the conference being hosted in the Amazon region, it is the perfect opportunity to develop well-defined systems that can be adopted on a global scale.
Climate Finance and Justice
Despite being a crucially affected area in climate change discussions, the World Bank estimates that only a miniscule 4.3% to 7.2% in climate funding is committed towards agriculture and food systems. Furthermore, engaging in this transformative dialogue will provide the groundwork for a just transition that supports vulnerable communities and underdeveloped regions around the world.
Progress Points
It is not enough to recognize the importance of prioritizing agricultural and food system transformation without coming to terms with the required measures to get there. These are key COP30 agenda areas that must be prioritized to make this transformation a reality:
Clean Energy Food Systems: The presence of greenhouse gas emissions during the food processing activities is a consistent occurrence but it doesn’t have to remain this way. Ongoing conversations during COP30 must center on transforming food processes that significantly rely on fossil fuels into ones that prioritise clean energy sources.
The Promotion of Climate Resilient Measures: Food security and climate resilient measures go hand-in-hand to ensure chronic hunger is not a global issue. To that end, climate resilient measures must be outlined and implemented to protect affected regions from food shortages caused by adverse climate effects.
Adequate Fund Allocation: The current climate funding structure for agriculture and food systems is not sufficient enough to achieve the necessary milestones. As such, countries must come to terms with present food realities and commit additional funding to boost food security initiatives.
Conclusion
Nations are coming to terms with the realities of food security and why it is the right move for sustainability. However, recognition and implementation must go hand in hand for true progress to be made. By engaging in system transformation dialogue during this year’s conferences, food shortages and concerns can be resolved with more permanent measures put in place.