Alliance of Champions calls on governments and financial institutions at COP29 to prioritize climate finance for food systems

19 November 2024, Baku: The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) reconvened today, one year after its launch at COP28, to highlight progress since Dubai and to unite in urging governments and financial institutions at COP29 to prioritize 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 $115.9bn climate finance mobilized 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 Program for Productive Forests (Programa Nacional de Florestas Produtivas) to promote sustainable agroforestry practices, enhance food production, generate employment, and restore degraded areas. The program'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.

The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) is a coalition of vanguard countries united by a shared ambition to transform food systems to deliver better outcomes for people, nature and the climate. Brazil, Norway and Sierra Leone jointly co-Chair the Alliance. Cambodia and Rwanda are also founding members.

The formation of the ACF was supported by the Food Systems Collaboration Network (FSCN), a group of civil society and intergovernmental organisations committed to help drive transformational change in food systems. It draws inspiration from other successful plurilateral models, such as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, High Ambition Coalition for Nature and the Powering Past Coal Alliance.

CGIAR hosts the Secretariat for the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF), in collaboration with Chatham House and the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU).