Food systems sit at the heart of the climate change crisis. They are a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions but also hold powerful pathways to adaptation, resilience, restoration and justice. Misaligned policies and fragmented approaches have deepened the crisis, but transforming food and agricultural systems offers a unique opportunity to deliver for climate, nature and people.

This side event examines the opportunities and dynamics of accelerating food systems transformation through agroecology. It outlines key imperatives and showcases promising initiatives related to enabling policies and platforms, innovative finance mechanisms and agroecology practices on the ground.   

This session explores agroecological approaches as cornerstones of agricultural NbS, highlighting how they sustain and bridge livelihoods, biodiversity, soil health and water resilience.

As countries develop, update, and implement their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet global and national biodiversity targets, integrating food systems presents a critical opportunity for transformative change that simultaneously advances biodiversity conservation and climate action.

As the world moves toward implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), agri-food systems are emerging as a critical frontier for biodiversity conservation and restoration. This session brought together youth networks, UN institutions, and national representatives to explore how young people can influence the integration of agri-food systems into updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Through technical insights, and interactive reflections, the session aimed to equip youth with the knowledge and agency to contribute meaningfully to biodiversity planning and governance.

This event will showcase how governments and non-state actors are leveraging agroecology for sustainable food systems by embedding agroecological priorities into broader national frameworks (e.g. food system transformation pathways, climate strategies, nutrition actions) to ensure policy coherence, unlock investment, and align with global sustainability goals. It will showcase country experiences and will include sharing session in terms of how countries are addressing challenges to implementation including financing, science-policy-society interface and stakeholder engagement.

This session explored how agroecology aligns with non-market approaches (NMAs) under Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement. Panelists discussed key NMA principles and pathways for integrating agroecology into climate action and sustainable food systems beyond carbon markets. 

This hybrid side event to the COPs of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions explored the impacts of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) on environmental and public health and pathways to advancing biopesticide initiatives and agroecology-based solutions. It also discussed the benefits, adoption challenges, and policy options for scaling up biopesticides and implementing agroecological approaches with a focus on chlorpyrifos. 

• What were the progress made for food systems in the 2024 COPs? Where was agroecology positioned in these debates?
• How can we leverage agroecology as an approach to break the silos of the 3 Rio conventions in 2025?
• In view of COP 30 in Brazil, what would be a successful outcome for agroecology and food system transformation?

Food system transformation and land restoration are key to harmonizing action between the Rio conventions to achieve climate, biodiversity and land targets. This session discussed and featured how agroecology can connect and deliver on these agendas through various studies and practice on the ground.

Hosted by BMZ/GIZ in cooperation with the Agroecology Coalition, Biovision Foundation, this evening reception hosted experts and organisations from the land use, agroecology, agriculture and food systems, forestry and biodiversity communities to discuss the interlinking of land and agroecology in achieving the objective of Land Degradation Neutrality.

With the next revision of NDCs due by 2025, countries have to leverage key opportunities within food systems. Hence, this event highlighted the potential of agroecology, water systems, sector-specific initiatives in fisheries and healthy diets for ambitious national climate action. 

This event will brought together faith, anti-hunger advocacy, policy analysis and investment experts, frontline food system transformation leaders, and horticultural research groups to discuss the evidence and effectiveness of centering biodiversity in food system policies to promote climate action.

During this COP29 policy briefing, the state of COP29 negotiations and perspectives for food systems, and agroecology, in particular were discussed.

Countries play a crucial role in leading ambitious climate action. With the next revision of NDCs due by 2025, this official COP29 UNFCCC side event discussed the role of agroecology for resilient food systems and how climate finance could support it by leveraging ongoing national policy developments. 

In this press conference, a global consortium of food system actors, composed by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Biovision, WWF, Alliance Bioversity International – CIAT, and the Agroecology Coalition, presented their new Guidance Tool „Boosting biodiversity action through agroecology“.

How can agroecology policies contribute to food system transformation and support countries National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans? This is the question high-level representatives from Colombia (Ministry of Agriculture), France (Ministry of Environnement), Via Campesina International and Biovision Foundation discussed during this COP16 event organised by Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture on 30.10.2024.

COP16 side event „Boosting NBSAPs through agroecology – launch of a new Guidance Tool„

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This event featured discussions with representatives from the governments of Colombia and France, as well as farmer and civil society organizations on boosting NBSAPs through agroecology. The session started with the presentation of a new Guidance Tool, that offers a detailed guide for mainstreaming agroecological thinking into the NBSAP mission, vision, biodiversity assessment, and formulation process and introduces intervention areas to support a food system transition. This introduction was followed by a conversation around experiences and challenges of countries in the development of their NBSAPs and the role and experiences of other food systems actors in advancing biodiversity and agroecology.

Event output: Guidance Tool Boosting Biodiversity Action through Agroecology

Speakers:

• Anna Lappé (Executive Director, Global Alliance for the Future of Food) 
• John Garcia Ulloa (Co-author and Senior Programme Manager, Biovision Foundation)
• Robin Goffaux (SBSTTA National Focal Point, France) 
• Esther Penunia (Secretary General, Asian Farmer Association) 
• Rodger Mpande (Director, Zimbabwe Regional Environment Organisation)  
• Augustín Zimmermann (FAO Representative Colombia)

Moderation: Camila Cammaert (Food and Agriculture Coordinator, WWF Colombia)

During the fourth Lunch and Learn session 2024 organized by the International Gender Champions Secretariat, titled ‘Seeds of Change: Promoting Gender Equality in Food Systems,’ speakers explored the gender dimensions of food (in)security, including the linkages between gender equality and food security, and how climate change further exacerbates existing inequities. They outlined sustainable solutions that have the potential to create triple win opportunities for gender equality, food security and environmental sustainability.

As countries will have to up-date their NDCs, NBSAPs & NAPs, this hybrid event which took place during SBSTA60 in Bonn and online on 3 June explored the pivotal role of national agroecology frameworks to coordinate action on climate change, biodiversity loss & land degradation and will discuss the crucial role of climate finance to strengthen these ecosystem-based approaches.

This SBSTTA26 side event which took place on 14 May 2024 in Nairobi reflected on food systems transformation as a key pathway and means for the national and subnational implementation of multiple Targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

Food Systems need to change to deliver multiple benefits – biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and food security – in a just and equitable way. This official COP28 side-event co-organized by Biovision, the Agroecology Coalition, WWF, CGIAR and Alliance Bioversity International & CIAT, discussed the potential of an agroecological paradigm shift with perspectives coming from science, the 3 Rio Conventions, member state and indigenous communities.

The session showcased the experiences of policymakers from across the continent on the processes undertaken to develop National Agroecological Strategies (NAS), while nurturing an open discussion among participants on agroecological policy interventions. 

Although agroecology is increasingly recognized as a path towards sustainable food systems, countries still lack coherent national policy frameworks that can steer coordinated action and leverage resources to achieve positive outcomes for people and nature alike. As a response, NAS generally aim to achieve multiple sustainability targets related to food systems through sets of interventions notably influencing production practices, natural resource use and governance, markets, consumption patterns, research agendas. 

At Biovision Foundation’s quinquennial Partner Meeting held in Arusha in September 2023, Biovision’s partners from civil society, research, academia and the private sector participated in two thematic sessions on policy advocacy that shed light on known best practices and effective strategies for engaging with policymakers and making the case for agroecology as a holistic solution to food systems issues.

In this side event of the Bonn Climate Change conference (SB58) organized on 6 June 2023, a line-up of speakers and practitioners discussed how food system transformation and land restoration are key to harmonizing action between the Rio conventions to achieve climate, biodiversity and land targets. This session highlighted how agroecology, restoration and integrated planning can connect and deliver on these agendas.

An insightful web event organized on 17 April by the European Commission and featuring Biovision Foundation’s policy brief on actionable recommendations to enhance synergies between agroecology and conservation. This event explored the critical question of balancing food needs with biodiversity conservation.Watch to recording to learn more about land sparing and sharing approaches, and their implications for sustainable agriculture, as well as real-world case studies, including agroecological biodiversity projects in Uganda and the impact of pesticides on biodiversity near Kibale National Park.

Policies, legislations, and institutional arrangements are key enablers for an agroecological transformation of food systems. In the process of convening the involved policy actors and stakeholders across all relevant sectors from the benefits of an agroecological approach, multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) play a pivotal role. 

This side event of the 1^st Eastern Africa Agroecology Conference (March 21-24, 2023, Nairobi) started with an overview of the ongoing initiatives on establishing agroecological policies in East Africa. Strategies, challenges, and opportunities were synthesized from different case studies in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Then, the role of MSPs in shaping the policy landscape was discussed, and established MSPs, including ISFAA, shared their experiences. Finally, after a panel discussion and a Q&A session, individuals and organizations connected with collaborators during session-ending networking cocktails.

In 2022, FAO, the Biovision Foundation and the Agroecology Coalition organized a series of three hybrid thematic dialogues, with a focus on identifying entry points, opportunities, building blocks, innovative approaches to policy, technology and institutional frameworks, that can support the upscale of agroecology. Through interactive group discussions and case studies, the dialogue explored the interface between agroecology and 1) territorial approaches, 2) biodiversity conservation between the farm level, 3) agri-input scarcity. An outcome brief was then developed for each dialogue, reflecting the key messages and recommendations of the discussions.

The event, took place on February 22, 2023, in Bern, and the key results of the agroecology dialogue series were discussed as well as how how to build on those messages. The event was organized around the visit of the FAO DDG Beth Bechdol in Switzerland.

The event organized on December 8 during COP15, highlighted the need to profoundly transform our current food systems, which continue to be the main driver of biodiversity loss. There is compelling evidence that agroecological approaches offer viable pathways for this much-needed transformation. They maintain a central focus on ecosystem diversity, and agricultural biodiversity, and are deeply rooted in traditional knowledge and the foodways of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It is clear that without a strong focus on agroecology, our global targets for biodiversity conservation are bound to miss the mark. 

This side event also aimed to shine a light on emerging coalitions and policy actions that are linking agroecology and agricultural biodiversity, as crucial pathways to transform food systems.

This event looked at the future mandate of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) that is discussed at COP27. Integrating elements of agroecology will be critical for transforming food systems, supporting the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, and enhancing  food security.

Around the world, research and practical experience show that agroecological approaches offer a promising way to protect nature, address climate change, maintain biodiversity, and restore ecosystem functions to degraded systems.

Applying agroecological approaches also contributes to food security by strengthening the production of healthy and diverse food. In the last years, agroecology has received increasing support from various stakeholders, as evidenced, for example, by the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, countries’ national development goals, increased research interest in the topic, support from civil society organizations and private sector for implementation in this area.

Over the past few years, conflict, COVID, and climate change have exposed the vulnerabilities of our food systems in the face of shocks. Many of these fragilities are a direct result of our current dependency on costly chemical inputs, lengthy commodity chains, as well as over-reliance on the import of staple foods. This has contributed to generations living in poverty and millions on the brink of starvation, particularly on the African continent. The livelihoods of small-scale farmers and consumers around the world will be greatly impacted unless we upscale practices that work with nature and deliver on the sustainable development goals, such as agroecological, organic, and regenerative farming. However, in light of heightened food insecurity, there are different perspectives on how we should move forward. Standing at this crossroads, what urgent steps should be taken to transition to sustainable food and farming systems?

The invasion of Ukraine has sparked a third food price crisis in 15 years. World food prices reached record highs in March 2022 and remain at critical levels, hitting food insecure countries and populations hard. Food systems around the world have proven highly vulnerable to these shocks, through their dependency on costly chemical inputs and highly-specialized commodity production, over-reliance on imports of staple foods, and the ongoing cycles of poverty, climate change and conflict that leave millions of people on the brink of hunger.

Countries around the world are now taking steps to mitigate the crisis and build the resilience that is urgently needed to protect against future shocks – from farmer-managed seed systems to the replacement of chemical inputs with agroecological practices. This side event of the CFS50 dealt with pioneering responses governments are developing and deploying, and how we can ensure coordinated, comprehensive action at the global level. Representatives of the governments of Mali, Mexico & Tanzania participated in the event.

This second dialogue of the Agroecology Series on September 15 connected the conservation and agroecology communities to explore opportunities and limitations of agroecology to address conservation needs beyond the farm. Thus, it looked beyond classical on-farm conservation angles (e.g. conservation of local crop varieties and crop wild relatives). Instead, it discussed the contributions of agroecology to mitigate species decline and ecosystem degradation in the landscape, which are less explicitly recognised within existing narratives of the agroecology or conservation communities. The dialogue identified concrete pathways to increase synergies between the agroecology and conservation communities in food system transformation through policy reform, knowledge creation and investment.

This third dialogue of the Agroecology Series on September 29 will reflected on the current global food crisis and the looming scarcity of agricultural inputs. Record prices in fertilizers, supply chain interruption, increasing dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs and on a handful of suppliers underlined the urgency of food system transformation. As a result, a number of countries committed to reducing their dependence on synthetic inputs. The crisis created opportunities to advance food system transformation through agroecology. The dialogue focused on a better understanding of concrete implementation steps and pathways to increase the resilience of food systems to agricultural inputs scarcity through agroecological approaches, in the areas of policy reform, knowledge creation and investments. 

This first event of the Agroecology Dialogue Series by FAO and Biovision Foundation, in support of the Coalition for food systems transformation through Agroecology (Agroecology Coalition), explored the interface between territorial approaches and agroecology, and how this interface contributes to the sustainable transformation of food systems. It analysed the relation between both approaches and the pathways needed for public policies, research initiatives, investment mechanisms, and advocacy to support agroecological transitions at territorial scales.

To support countries in their revisions of the NBSAPs, the Biovision Foundation, Global Alliance for the Future of Food and WWF International, supported by the Agroecology Coalition, organised on online dialogue on 12 March 2024 in a Peer-to-Peer format (P2P) between national NBSAP focal points, national focal points for food systems and agroecological policies, and non-state actors from countries with current interest and programmes as well as national policies on agroecology, such as Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, France, Kenya, Mexico, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam.

This activitiy is part of the initiative “Boosting NBSAPs through Agroecology“.

This event took place on 15 October 2023 during SBSTTA25 in Nairobi. It showcased agrobiodiversity and local food systems as effective solutions for climate adaptation, mitigation, and nutrition. Through deforestation and land-use change, energy-use, GhG emissions and inorganic inputs, agriculture is a key contributor to climate change, which in turn threatens food security and nutrition of the growing population.

Agrobiodiversity challenges conventional food systems, by changing how food is produced, what it emits, and how resilient it is to climate shocks. Such food system transformation demands a shift in mindset from production to consumption. During the event, keynote speeches provided evidence to justify the need for this shift, and expert panels discussed concrete solutions and ways to protect and use genetic diversity for climate resilience, mitigation and nutrition.