Sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action: A post-COP28 look at policy imperatives at international and country levels

IFPRI participated in COP28 in late 2023 as part of a wider CGIAR delegation. Following on CGIAR’s five key takeaways from the global climate conference, this blog post—written by IFPRI Communications and Public Affairs Director Charlotte Hebebrand with input from IFPRI research units—reflects on the significance of the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action through a policy lens. 

Despite the inconclusive outcome on the COP27 Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan in Dubai, COP28 has nonetheless been hailed for putting a much needed and strong focus on food systems, which are simultaneously threatened by and contribute to climate change. A key food systems breakthrough reached in Dubai was the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action, which stresses that “any path to fully achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement must include agriculture and food systems.” We reflect here on important policy decisions required to tackle the key challenges and goals set forth in the Declaration.