New CGIAR Evidence Sets Out Blueprint for a Low-Carbon, Regenerative and Equitable Food System Transition at COP30

From
Climate Action Science Program
Published on
10.11.25
Impact Area
Adaptation, Climate adaptation & mitigation, Mitigation

As countries prepare to gather in Belém for COP30, CGIAR today launched seven new evidence-based reports that outline actionable pathways for transforming global agrifood systems. Together, the briefs present a coherent package of science, policy guidance, and practical solutions aligned with the COP30 Action Agenda—especially its focus on transforming agriculture and food systems.

Very clear common themes run across all seven reports. Although each brief tackles a different piece of the agrifood-climate puzzle, they collectively reinforce a coherent narrative about how to deliver climate action through food systems at COP30 and beyond.

1. Agrifood systems must deliver BOTH mitigation and adaptation — at the same time.

Every report stresses dual outcomes:

Lower emissions (via innovation frameworks, regenerative practices, circular bioeconomy, livestock efficiency, low-emission value chains).
Stronger adaptation and resilience (healthy soils, diversified farms, restored landscapes, resilient value chains, equitable livestock systems).

This mirrors the COP30 focus on integrated action rather than siloed mitigation/adaptation measures.

2. Solutions must be context-specific, inclusive, and locally owned.

Across the reports, the strongest message is: no one-size-fits-all approach works.
Common elements include:

Local adaptation of innovations and policies.
Participatory design and community ownership.
Gender equality, youth inclusion, and smallholder empowerment.
Recognising Indigenous knowledge, local institutions, and geography.

From school meal procurement to silvopastoral systems, everything needs tailoring to place, people, and political economy.

3. Strengthening the enabling environment is essential for scaling.

All seven briefs point beyond technologies or practices to the broader systems that determine whether climate solutions thrive.
Repeated enabling conditions include:

Policies and regulatory coherence.
Access to finance and risk-sharing tools.
Markets, procurement systems, and incentives.
Governance & institutions.
Data, MRV, and evidence for decision-making.
Extension, advisory services, and digital tools.

The “system” matters more than the “solution”.

4. A shift toward regeneration, not just efficiency.

Across the reports there is a clear pivot toward regenerative, circular, and restorative models:

Regenerating soils through cover crops, conservation agriculture, agroforestry.
Restoring degraded lands at scale.
Circular bioeconomy approaches that recycle nutrients and reduce waste.
Low-emission value chains that protect forests and ecosystems.

This marks a shift from “do less harm” to “actively repair and build resilience”.

5. Climate action in food systems must be just, equitable, and socially grounded.

Equity cuts through all seven briefs:

Livestock systems that protect pastoralists, women, and youth.
Public procurement that supports smallholders and local markets.
Restoration that benefits communities and future generations.
Value chains that avoid shifting burdens to vulnerable groups.
Innovation frameworks that prioritise social co-benefits.

This mirrors the growing global focus on just transitions and aligns with the “Global Mutirão” ethos of collective, inclusive action.

The seven reports collectively argue for a transformed food system that is low-emission, resilient, regenerative, context-appropriate, and socially just — powered by science, governed by inclusive policies, and scaled through finance and enabling conditions.

Download the reports