The 2024 Breakthrough Agenda Report: Agriculture, the first standalone report under the Breakthrough Agenda series to focus on agriculture, was launched at the Baku Climate Action Week on October 1, 2024. Developed with CGIAR’s expertise and contributions from global stakeholders, the report examines the progress of international collaboration in adopting sustainable agricultural practices. It provides actionable recommendations for governments and non-state actors to collectively address the challenges posed by climate change in the agrifood sector.
Focusing on the two largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions—fertilizers and livestock—the report explores innovative technologies to reduce emissions. Complementing the broader IEA Breakthrough Agenda Report, presented at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Brazil the following day, the agricultural report set the stage for in-depth discussions at COP29. During its COP29 launch, hosted by the CGIAR Climate Impact Platform, the urgency of transforming food systems to keep pace with accelerating climate impacts took center stage.
Timmo Gaasbeek, from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored this urgency, stating, “Things are accelerating faster, and we need to accelerate our responses much more than has been happening so far.” In presenting the report, Aditi Mukherji highlighted five key pathways for reducing emissions in agriculture, including reducing unsustainable consumption, enhancing sustainable production, and prioritizing smallholder needs.
The need for tailored approaches was a recurring theme. Dr. Apollinaire Djikeng from ILRI emphasized the importance of differentiating livestock solutions for various production systems, explaining, “If you go to a farmer and you talk about reducing methane emissions and things like that, the farmer will not get it. They want to see resilient, healthy animals, and at the end of the day, they want to make money.” Similarly, Seiglinde Snapp, Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program Director (SAS) CIMMYT highlighted strategies to address emissions from fertilizer use, calling for improvements in “nitrogen use efficiency” and the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.
Financial solutions and inclusivity were also emphasized as critical enablers of progress. Richard Ali from Tetra Pak stressed the importance of simplifying financial mechanisms to support small and medium enterprises in the agri-food chain. “Everything for the climate effort is required,” he said. “Without a collective effort, you cannot achieve this global goal. For the collective effort, simplification and universal adoption of the mechanism are very important.” Echoing this, Rebecca Brooks from the UN Climate Champions Team highlighted the value of inclusive dialogues, emphasizing that “inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogues are essential to accelerate climate action in agriculture.”
The report’s launch resonated as a call to action for the global community to reimagine agriculture as a vital component of climate solutions, underscoring the power of collaboration, innovation, and science in building a sustainable and equitable future.
Key Take Aways
- Differentiated Approaches Needed: The speakers emphasized the need to differentiate solutions for different agricultural contexts, particularly between the Global North and Global South. Solutions need to be tailored to the specific needs and constraints of smallholder farmers and large-scale producers.
- Importance of Partnerships and Inclusivity: There was a strong emphasis on the need for inclusive, multi-stakeholder partnerships to drive climate action in agriculture. Engaging farmers, processors, financial institutions, and policymakers is crucial for effective implementation.
- Simplifying Access to Finance: Several speakers highlighted the need to simplify financial mechanisms and instruments to enable greater access for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as smallholder farmers. Complicated application processes and requirements are a major barrier.
- Holistic Food System Approach: The speakers recognized the need to address emissions across the entire food system, from production to consumption. Focusing solely on agricultural production is not enough - solutions must consider the interconnected nature of food systems.
- Importance of Research and Innovation: Continued investment in research and development of new technologies, such as methane-reducing livestock feed and precision fertilizer application, was emphasized as key to driving emissions reductions in agriculture.
- Policy Coherence and Enabling Environment: Aligning policies, regulations, and incentives across different sectors (e.g., agriculture, energy, trade) was seen as crucial to creating an enabling environment for the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.
