The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) reconvened on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, one year after its launch at COP28, to highlight progress since Dubai and to unite in urging governments and financial institutions at COP29 to prioritise climate finance for food systems.
Speaking on Food, Agriculture and Water Day, co-chairs Brazil, Norway and Sierra Leone, alongside founding members Cambodia and Rwanda, released an ACF Ministerial Statement, as well as a series of “Progress Snapshots”, highlighting key successes in each country and setting out priorities for further work.
The ACF governments stated in a joint call to action at COP29: “We need to see a rapid and sustained increase in both the overall quantum of climate finance and the proportion going towards transforming food systems, which are estimated to require $500 billion per year over the next decade. Despite being responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions, 90% of deforestation and 60% of biodiversity loss, Food systems received just 3.4% of the total $115.9 billion climate finance mobilised by developed countries in 2022.
“At Baku this year the focus – rightly – is on the need to urgently mobilise substantial additional finance, both public and private, to achieve climate goals. Within this, as a coalition of ambitious developed and developing nations, the ACF is calling for governments and financial institutions to prioritise climate finance for food systems transformation, via both concessional and innovative funding mechanisms.”
The snapshots, which showcase progress from across the ACF member countries since launch, include:
In Brazil, a National Programme for Productive Forests (Programa Nacional de Florestas Produtivas) to promote sustainable agroforestry practices, enhance food production, generate employment, and restore degraded areas. The programme’s initial phase targets the state of Pará and supports Brazil’s wider commitments to restore 12 million hectares by 2030 and create up to 2.5 million jobs.
In Cambodia, the deployment of 1,600 agriculture officers in agricultural communes across the country, developing modern agricultural cooperatives to improve access to markets, capital and water, whilst also increasing the economic efficiency and sustainability of smallholders;
In Norway, an annual policy dialogue with farming unions to negotiate policy measures that are tailored to farmers’ needs, delivering a “bottom up” participatory approach that is designed to deliver against the country’s national and international commitments;
In Rwanda, a commitment by 2030 to halve per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels and to reduce food losses in farm production and along supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
In Sierra Leone, the implementation of the national flagship “Feed Salone” strategy is sustainably driving local food production by making agriculture more competitive for investment, decreasing food imports and supporting smallholder farmers, especially women and youth.
Alliance members are calling on other governments to join them and unite in the urgent task of food system transformation. Within the ministerial statement, they declared: “Today, we are also calling for governments who share our ambition to create a fairer, healthier and more prosperous future to join us. The actions that each of us take within our borders can enhance our peoples’ food and nutritional security, boost equity and livelihoods, increase climate resilience, protect and restore nature, and help mitigate climate breakdown.”
In response to this ask, Tanzania has officially announced today its intention to join the ACF and is set to become the newest member of this pioneering coalition committed to transforming global food systems.
Paulo Teixeira, Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Farming, Brazil, and co-chair of ACF, said: “As Brazil looks towards COP30 next year, I am proud to be part of this important Alliance which continues to make the case for fairer, more sustainable food systems. Whether it is tackling hunger, supporting family farmers to produce nutritious food sustainably, driving the agro-ecological transition or protecting the rainforest, we can only improve outcomes in the long run if we look at the system holistically. To do that, we must address the climate finance gap for food systems at COP29.”
Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development, Norway, and co-chair of ACF, commented: “It is imperative that we, the international community, do not take our eyes off food systems, which are so fundamental to combatting the climate crisis, but also the nature crisis and the hunger crisis. As co-chairs of the Alliance of Champions, we will ensure this critical issue continues to rise up the agenda, shining a light on what is possible when countries commit to working together. We need to unlock the necessary finance to transform our food systems onto a more sustainable, equitable and resilient path.”
Dr Henry Musa Kpaka, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Sierra Leone, and co-chair of ACF, stated: “Over the past year, Sierra Leone has forged ahead with the transformation of our food system, securing over $1 billon investment to sustainably enhance food sovereignty, boost farmer livelihoods and reduce post-harvest losses. But this is just the beginning. We now need other countries to join us in making their food systems fairer, more productive, and an engine for growth and development. We also need to significantly increase climate finance and make a major shift in directing more of it toward transforming food systems.”
Dr Eang Sophalleth, Minister of Environment for Cambodia, said: “In Cambodia, we have long understood the importance of cross-government working if the issues of nutritional security, climate change and biodiversity are to be tackled successfully. Through the Alliance of Champions, we will continue to enjoy close collaboration with Brazil, Norway, Sierra Leone and Rwanda on the difficult but essential task of transforming our food systems to deliver better outcomes for people, nature and the planet.”
Dr. Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda, added: “To transform food systems is to take action on climate, nature depletion, hunger, livelihoods and resilience, all at the same time. Through the Alliance of Champions, we will continue to emphasise the importance – and the potential – of this crucial issue.”
