COP30: Climate extremes are already impacting food yields today

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), taking place in Belém, Brazil, brings together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to define urgent actions against climate change. Through its participation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working with countries and partners to place agriculture and food security at the centre of negotiations, including discussions on the Global Goal on Adaptation, loss and damage, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), climate finance, technology and just transition.

Ahead of the international gathering, Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB), outlined some of the most important messages the Organization will be carrying to COP30 and beyond.

How will climate extremes affect the ability of farmers, fishers and pastoralists to produce food?

It’s not a distant threat - it’s happening now. Climate extremes are already disrupting food and agriculture. Yields are declining, and unpredictable weather is making harvesting increasingly difficult. We’re also seeing a surge in pests and diseases. Across the board, climate change is reshaping agriculture and food systems.

It's no coincidence that global hunger remains alarmingly high, still around 700 million people. Part of that is because of the climate crisis. If we fail to act, the outlook is stark: in some regions, rain-fed agriculture could become impossible; in others, land will no longer be suitable for food production. Already, one-third of global agricultural land is degraded. Imagine growing further. These trends put immense pressure on communities and food systems worldwide.

What are FAO’s top priorities for COP30?

Our core message is simple: Sustainable and resilient agrifood systems are central to climate action and key to ensuring food security and nutrition for the 1.2 billion people whose livelihoods depend on them. Without transforming agriculture and food systems, achieving the Paris Agreement is nearly impossible. That’s why FAO is committed to supporting countries in negotiations, helping the COP Presidency with the Action Agenda related to agrifood systems, and amplifying the voices of farmers, rural communities, smallholders and Indigenous Peoples – often those on the front lines of climate events.

FAO’s top priorities for COP30 and beyond are: 1) Placing agrifood systems in the outcomes and decisions of the COP; 2) Turning ambition into action by integrating agrifood systems solutions into national climate plans and making them a reality; 3) Redirecting more climate finance toward agrifood systems solutions and scaling them up to maximize impact. Currently, only about 4 percent of climate-related development finance reaches sectors responsible for food production, crop production, livestock, fisheries, and forestry - this must change.

What specific commitments or outcomes does FAO expect from the conference?

COP30 is a pivotal moment to reaffirm that agriculture and food systems are the strongest line of defense against the climate crisis and must be central to discussions on adaptation and mitigation, resilience, loss and damage, and climate finance. It’s also an opportunity to elevate the role of forests - promoting integrated fire management, safeguarding ecosystems, and ensuring countries have the resources to manage and maintain forests sustainably.

COP30 will bring together around 3,000 indigenous peoples, highlighting their role in climate negotiations. How does FAO envision integrating traditional knowledge into its strategies for food security and zero hunger?

You cannot address agriculture or forests without engaging Indigenous Peoples. Their traditional knowledge is invaluable for building resilience and safeguarding our future amid climate uncertainty.

In the host country of COP30, for instance, farmers are reviving cabruca, a traditional system in which cocoa trees grow beneath a canopy of native species. As the initiative with cocoa farmers in Brazil’s Bahia region show, supporting those who work the land is the surest way to secure the planet’s future.

COP30 must be the moment when agrifood systems move from the margins to the center of climate action.