COP29 Leaders Convene to Advance Regenerative Agriculture Innovations as Climate Solutions

At the Scaling Regenerative Agriculture Innovations Dinner Series, the Future Economy Forum welcomed speakers and dialogue participants from over 55 countries and representing more than 490 organizations. 

Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation at the World Food Programme, spoke of the sobering reality that more than 300 million people are now facing acute hunger in the world. She explained that needs have doubled since Covid, with larger and larger numbers facing floods, droughts, and extreme weather with increasing frequency. WFP provides emergency assistance to millions of people around the world but also implements solutions such as the ‘Greening the Sahel’ initiative. This is reversing desertification in sub Saharan Africa, building community infrastructure, promoting education, improving nutrition and health, and creating jobs for women and young people in the five Sahelian countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Niger. 4 million people benefited and 290,000 hectares of agro-pastoral land has been rehabilitated, increasing agricultural productivity by a factor of two to three.”

Susan Chomba of World Resources Institute (WRI), shared her story of being raised by her mother and grandmother who were farmers, and whose wisdom and resourcefulness put her through college. She emphasized the importance of valuing the ingenuity and intelligence of farmers - and how essential it is to develop agricultural innovations and solutions WITH the communities in partnership, rather than as a recipient of interventions.

"In Brazil, we are working to strengthen the resilience of our food systems, reverse environmental impacts, and promote rural development with family farmers and agroecology at the forefront.” Teixeira described, "Agroecology is a holistic approach to food that is grounded in ecological and socio-economic principles. It brings multiple benefits: building climate resilience by restoring nature's safety net; reducing the harmful impacts of food production on the environment; and enhancing food security and rural economies by empowering farmers and consumers."

Rania Al-Mashat highlighted Egypt's recent launch of the first regulated voluntary carbon market in Africa, which marks an important move by Egypt in the direction of economic and environmental sustainability. Al-Mashat cited the collaborative effort by the Development Policy Finance Program, the Ministry with the World Bank, the Financial Regulatory Authority and other development partners. She praised the work of Sekem, the Egyptian Biodynamic Association and Economy of Love Standard that present models that need to be replicated globally. "Sekem is leading the way,” she commented, "by demonstrating models for economic change that benefit people, communities and the environment.”

H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and chair of AGRA commented "85% percentage of agriculture and food system is driven by small holder farmers in Africa. Regeneration is essential, our people understand what it could mean in their own lives and practices. But there is a knowledge gap that has to be addressed with methods.” 

Hunter Lovins, NOW Partners Foundation, spoke: "In the 30 years we’ve been doing this, emissions have doubled. Whatever we’re doing at these events, it’s not working. And we’re running out of time.  We have the solutions to the climate crisis.  One: You stop emitting. Two: you take the excess carbon out of the atmosphere and put it where it belongs - back in the soil. There are thirty plus words for this, but what regenerative agriculture means: the soil is getting healthier.”

Rosinah Mbenya of Pelum Kenya, a network of civil society organizations working with small-scale farmers in Kenya commented, "Our climate has been changing, therefore our food systems must change.”

Helmy Abouleish, Sekem, shared: "While we explore transformative solutions to reshape our lives and tackle global challenges that may seem "impossible”, at SEKEM Group, we understand how to embrace this notion of the "impossible.” Through the Economy of Love standard, we introduce models that incentivize environmental initiatives. These efforts not only aim to mitigate climate change but also to establish sustainable food systems and uplift rural communities facing significant hardships.”

Thoraya Seada, of Heliopolis University commented, "Carbon Credits are tools, not targets. Exploring the critical roles that Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM) must play in facing the climate change crisis is essential. By fostering credible carbon credit mechanisms, VCM can incentivize sustainable practices, enhance climate resilience, and create a pathway for transformative solutions.”

"We're not always going to agree, but it's important that we're able to converse like this and tell our story," shared Lloyd Day of Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). "Regenerative agriculture is very important, and we are spending a lot of time investing in soil-centered agriculture; we find it important to work through the COP process and we're glad to be here."

Unilever representative Thomas Lingard added, "Look how much work has been done by the organizations present here today to really put food and agriculture at the center of the conversation. I believe that we're going to see many changes, such as governments stepping up with subsidy reform and more convergence in measurement reporting frameworks, so we spend less time discussing spreadsheets and more time driving impact."

Eric Mittenhal of IICA emphasized the need for cross-sector collaboration: "In agriculture, we often talk to ourselves in bubbles, and we need to reach across organizations toward common goals in a data-driven way. No one company, no one country, no one industry can really solve this. So we have to look across our supply chains, around the world, to help advance agricultural sustainability solutions."

Vincent Martin of FAO highlighted the importance of partnerships and farmer-led innovation: "We have to move away from having trials here and there. We want to transform food systems. So we have to work together. We work with peer-to-peer learning programs, where farmers learn from their mistakes and from each other. We believe in the innovative potential of farmers."

Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture of Belize, emphasized the connection between climate change and food security, stating, "When you grow your own food, it's like you are printing your own money. Climate change is real and puts us at risk of food security."

Hon. Roland Royer, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue & Green Economy of Dominica, shared his country's commitment to resilience in the face of climate change: "We are working towards being resilient. We have a small population, but we are a food basket for the eastern Caribbean states. The problem we are facing is with dangerous storms; we faced destructive tropical storms and hurricanes in 2015 and 2017. At this point, our Prime Minister made the goal that Dominica will become the most resilient country in the world. We are here to discuss, get information, and learn about climate solutions."

This solutions-focused dialogue at COP29 demonstrated the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing among diverse stakeholders in driving the transition towards regenerative agriculture and land use practices.

"COP29 is the Finance COP," said Merijn Dols. "It's easy for finance to be dehumanizing and just about numbers, and the Global North and Global South. Here today, we can remember the human stories, and consider how we can use dialogue to re-humanize finance. These are not just singular events – it is, ‘are we building an arc of transition, across also the various COPs, the various meetings throughout the year?’"

HH Princess Mashael bint Saud AlShalan, co-founder of Aeon Collective, commented on goals for action at the UNCCD’s COP16, "In the COP16 Green Zone, a zone that is open for the public,  we are establishing a People’s pavilion. At its core, it is a simple resolution for everyone who is contributing to it. You are welcome to do…. We are part of a much bigger boat, and when we are safe within our territories, we have to pay service to other species that we live with. Don’t just talk, do something.”

Alberto Kleiman, Director of Institutional Relations and Partnerships for Brazil’s COP30 Presidency, commented on the vision for next year’s climate conference, which will be convened in Belem, Brazil: "We are motivated to turn the COP30 vision to reality. People talk a lot about the Amazon, but few know it. We, the Brazilian government, invite people to be part of this historical process.” He continued, "We welcome the global community to visit Belem, not for tourism, but for the life changing experience of being there, to experience and learn the Amazon and know this important part of the planet. We see civil society participation in blue and green zones is key, it is one of the pillars of this COP."

Angela Pinhati, Chief Sustainability Officer of the Brazil-based multinational, Natura, emphasized the opportunities for businesses in driving positive impact: "We at Natura transform social and environmental challenges into business opportunities. We have in mind the financial aspect of our business but together impacting positively the world and in this specific case, the Amazon rainforest. We contribute to keep 2.2 million hectares of standing forest. We prove that it is possible to have good business, healthy business with positive impact."

Walter Link, CEO of NOW Partners Foundation contextualized the importance of these events: "The potential of COPs is ‘collaboration towards concrete solutions’ for our interconnected challenges and opportunities. The urgency of the moment requires collaboration in and among all countries and sectors. One of the most impactful opportunities of our time is the Scaling of Regenerative Agriculture Innovations - which is the title and focus of this dinner series. We convene these Evening Dialogues to bring together leaders to exchange and advance real connections and concrete actions that will bring about meaningful systems change”. 

Dialogue participants included Rushank Bardolia, leading Green Earth Agro that supports smallholder regenerative agriculture in Ghana.

 

See also: forum special entry on COP29 - A collection of reports and comments by forum correspondents