The Quiet Shift at COP30 That Will Shape COP31

COP30 in Belém marked a turning point for how food and land systems are positioned within global climate action. Brazil’s COP Presidency placed food systems transformation at the heart of its Presidential Action Agenda, building on and deepening the work of previous presidencies, from Egypt’s COP27 focus on financing to UAE’s COP28 focus on developing food systems approaches.  

CGIAR Climate Action, working through the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, played a central role in shaping that shift: helping frame priorities, translating science into policy, and building coalitions designed to outlast the COP itself. 

The result was not just visibility, but collaboratively setting agendas, informing ministerial declarations, and supporting the launch of new global initiatives that now define the road to COP31.

What happened at COP30: from advocacy to action agendas 

Food systems moved into the centre of the COP30 agenda 

In the months leading up to Belém, CGIAR Climate Action engaged early and consistently with Brazil’s COP30 Presidency, including the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) and Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA). This early engagement alongside the efforts of other key partners paid off: food, land use and agriculture were embedded into the Presidential Action Agenda informed by the science of CGIAR research centers among others. A flagship example was the Brazil–CGIAR Joint Statement on Biosolutions, which helped frame biological inputs and nature-based agricultural innovation as core pathways for low-carbon, climate-resilient farming. This framing was aligned to the COP30 programming and ministerial discussions, supporting the broader COP30 presidency agenda.  

Science shaped policy language—not just side events 

CGIAR evidence fed directly into negotiated and political outcomes at COP30. Contributions informed: 

• The Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty and Human-Centered Climate Action, particularly around climate fragility and social protection.
• The Baku-to-Belém Roadmap to USD 1.3 trillion, ensuring food systems and agriculture were recognized as investable climate priorities.
• A ministerial statement from the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) calling for more accessible, higher-quality climate finance for food systems. 

This work reinforced CGIAR’s role as a trusted science-policy bridge—connecting global research to the political language that shapes finance and implementation. 

New coalitions were launched with delivery in mind 

COP30 was also a moment of coalition-building with intent. Three major initiatives were co-designed or launched with CGIAR as a core partner: 

• RAIZ, a global initiative led by Brazil to restore 500 million hectares of degraded agricultural land by 2030, linking evidence, investment pipelines and public-private finance.
• TERRA, advancing agroecology and agroforestry as scalable climate solutions for smallholder farmers through blended finance, farmer organizations and regional capacity hubs.
• The Global Carbon Harvest Alliance, coordinated by the Alliance, brings together countries and partners to standardize evidence, MRV and methodologies for soil-based carbon removal. 

Alongside these, existing coalitions were strengthened, with three more countries (Colombia, Italy and Vietnam) joining the original five founding members. The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation expanded its membership and political reach, while the FAST Partnership sharpened its advocacy on climate finance for agriculture. 

What happens next: the road from COP30 to COP31 

COP30 was not an endpoint—it was a launchpad. The coming year will be defined by a shift from coalition-building to delivery. 

Turning initiatives into investable platforms 

Between now and COP31, the priority is to move from announcements to design and financing: 

• Alliance-Bioversity-CIAT will support RAIZ partners to co-develop investment vehicles and undertake joint fundraising with countries and partners.
• TERRA will enter full initiative design, under the leadership of Brazil.
• The Global Carbon Harvest Alliance will advance scientific validation, MRV standards and global recognition, with strong interest already signaled by philanthropic and private-sector actors. 

Aligning advocacy on climate finance 

With multiple coalitions now calling for scaled food systems finance, coherence matters. A key task on the road to COP31 is aligning advocacy across ACF and the FAST Partnership—ensuring a single, evidence-based narrative on why food systems are central to delivering climate outcomes. 

Engaging future COP hosts early 

Work has already begun to engage Australia and Turkey around COP31 to understand their priorities, applying lessons from Brazil’s Presidency, with an eye already on COP32 to be hosted by Ethiopia in 2027.

What this means for CGIAR Climate Action 

From contributor to strategic partner 

COP30 reinforced CGIAR Climate Action’s position not just as a source of evidence, but as a strategic partner in informing global climate agendas. Early engagement, trusted relationships and a strong science base allowed CGIAR to co-design initiatives rather than react to them. 

Research with a clearer pathway to impact 

The initiatives launched in Belém create concrete pathways for CGIAR science to inform: 

• Large-scale land restoration and investment decisions,
• Agroecology and farmer-led transitions,
• Carbon accounting and MRV systems that work for smallholders. 

This strengthens the link between research outputs and real-world delivery—particularly in low- and middle-income countries. 

Partnerships that unlock finance at scale 

Perhaps most importantly, COP30 showed how coordinated science, policy engagement and coalition-building can unlock new funding conversations. With strong interest already emerging from governments, philanthropies and private actors, the coming year will focus on translating credibility into sustained investment.

From Belém forward 

COP30 demonstrates what is possible when food systems are treated as central to climate action—and when science is embedded early in political processes. The challenge now is to carry that momentum forward: converting agendas into investments, coalitions into delivery platforms, and research into measurable impact. 

For CGIAR Climate Action, the road to COP31 is not just about showing up—it is about informing what comes next.