Driving Locally Led Adaptation and Equity for Resilient Food Systems

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) provided crucial, science-driven perspectives at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Brazil, focusing on the global transition from climate pledges to practical, locally-led implementation. Dr. Jon Hellin, IRRI’s Principal Scientist, was a prominent voice across four LLA dialogues, sharing how robust scientific research can be operationalized to support community agency, ensure gender equity, and unlock crucial adaptation finance. IRRI’s contributions championed Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), an essential framework that shifts power and decision-making to the communities most vulnerable to climate shocks.

The COP30 session “Locally led climate adaptation: a ‘business unusual’ agenda for research and development” addressed the gap between the principles and the practice of LLA, which is essential for achieving sustainable and equitable adaptation pathways. Dr. Hellin stressed that researchers must operationalize LLA to attract financing, advocating for innovative methods like Living Labs, Positive Deviance Approaches, and integrating Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) Planning into government budgets. IRRI and CGIAR’s role is to professionalize these methodologies and provide the analytical rigor and integrated system thinking necessary for effective, locally-driven climate solutions.

As a panelist for “Equitable Pathways for Adaptation Finance,” Dr. Hellin emphasized that effective adaptation must evolve beyond infrastructure to embed equity and resilience within everyday systems. He highlighted that IRRI focuses on integrated, interdisciplinary solutions and institutional models that sustain local data systems to de-risk investments and bridge critical financing and data gaps.

The joint side event, “Harvesting Hope: Gender-Responsive Financing for Climate-Resilient Agriculture,” addressed the critical issue that women farmers, vital for food security, receive less than 1% of global climate finance. Dr. Hellin highlighted the need to integrate gender-responsive frameworks into national strategies, while partners like BRAC, the Huairou Commission, and WOCAN showcased innovative finance pathways—such as the Community Resilience Fund and the W+ Standard—that empower women and turn nature-based projects into adaptation revenue. The session stressed aligning research, finance, and practice to deliver effective, scalable, and inclusive climate solutions on the ground.

The session “Gender, Youth & the Future of Food Systems” made a strong case for sustained investment in youth, emphasizing that their inclusion must be the foundation of climate-resilient food systems, not an afterthought. The dialogue showcased youth-led innovations and explored how research institutions, including CGIAR, can collaborate to ensure evidence-based solutions are grounded in local realities and scale innovative financial models, such as using fintech, to close inclusion gaps.

Across all four COP30 events, IRRI underscored that LLA, driven by a process of co-creation among all stakeholders, is the foundation for achieving just and resilient food systems, with success measured by strengthened local agency and system-wide transformation.

Read the original article: IRRI at COP30 shares key research and insights into community-based, gender-responsive climate adaptation