AGRA calls for a Farmer-First Climate Breakthrough at COP30 with youth voices at the Center

BELEM, BRAZIL: November 10th, 2025: As the UN Climate Conference (COP30) also knows as the “implementation COP” and the “COP of Truth” opens in Belém, AGRA is calling for a decisive shift from talk to action with ambition and urgency, urging a farmer-first breakthrough that puts soils, youth, and food systems at the center of global climate action.

AGRA is urging governments and partners to translate pledges into practical finance and policy packages that strengthen resilience for Africa’s smallholders, create jobs for young people, and unlock growth across food economies.

“Africa’s farmers are not waiting for the future; they are shaping it,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “A farmer-first climate breakthrough means turning promises into progress, converting finance into resilience, and transforming ambition into action where it matters most, on farms.”

AGRA believes COP30 offers a vital opportunity to advance the adaptation and resilience agenda through agriculture and food systems. Across its engagements in Belém, AGRA will spotlight proven pathways for scaling impact, including coherent policies, fit-for-purpose finance, functioning markets, and soil health systems that sustain productivity, with a view of putting youth and women at the center of Africa’s agricultural transformation.

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This call aligns with the newly adopted Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Human-Centered Climate Action, endorsed by 43 countries and the European Union. The Declaration recognizes that climate action and social justice are inseparable and urges a rebalancing of climate finance to support people most exposed to climate shocks. It highlights the need for climate-responsive social protection, insurance for smallholder farmers, and livelihood programs that build long-term resilience.

AGRA supports this global shift and emphasizes that small-scale producers are not just victims of the climate crisis, but are key drivers of resilience and transformation.

“Resilience is built when the right policies, finance, and technical solutions meet at the farm level,” said Tilahun Amede, AGRA’s Director for Sustainable Farming, Climate Adaptation, and Resilience. “At COP30 together with partners, we aim to show how soil health, water management, inclusive finance and stronger value chains can turn climate ambition into practical results for farmers for short term gains and longer-term resilience.”

The UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2025 warns that developing countries face an annual shortfall of USD 284 – 339 billion in adaptation funding. Current flows meet barely a tenth of that need. AGRA is calling for a stronger push to direct climate finance where it has the greatest impact, into the hands of farmers and rural enterprises that power food and job systems across Africa.

The farmer-first approach reflects African negotiators’ calls for adaptation that delivers tangible improvements for producers. AGRA is working with governments to streamline regulations for climate-resilient seed, support risk-sharing mechanisms that attract private capital, and align donor programs with national priorities rather than short-term pilots.

Soils and Youth at the Center of Action

Years of land degradation have depressed yields and weakened resilience across smallholder systems. According to the Africa Food Systems Report 2025, nearly 65 percent of productive land in Africa is degraded, reducing yields and eroding resilience. AGRA is highlighting the urgent need to invest in soil health, promote diversified cropping, and improve nutrient management through both organic and mineral sources. It is also advocating for data systems that track soil health and productivity to guide national planning and investment.

AGRA’s youth agenda focuses on skills, enterprise financing, and procurement opportunities that bring young Africans into higher-value roles in processing, logistics, and input distribution. AGRA wants measurable progress on youth employment indicators and financing pathways for agri-SMEs that can retain young talent.

From Declarations to Delivery

Drawing on its work in fifteen African countries, AGRA argues that a delivery-first approach, tying finance to evidence-based actions, can help governments achieve climate and food security goals faster. The ultimate test of COP30, AGRA says, will be whether commitments channel resources into practical solutions that farmers can access.

AGRA is also a partner in the Growing Innovations showcase, co-hosted by the Gates Foundation, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates. The showcase both a high-level event on November 10 and a physical exhibition, will highlight affordable, climate-smart solutions designed for and, in many cases, by farmers.