Smart Net-Zero

November 20, 2024 | CGIAR Climate Impact Platform |

COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, has brought agriculture to the forefront of climate discussions, emphasizing its critical role in building resilience and ensuring food security. Despite supporting over 2.5 billion smallholders, agriculture has often been sidelined in climate debates. This year, the concept of a just transition—helping farmers adapt sustainably without undue burdens—has emerged as a key theme. Over the past 30 years, climate-induced disasters have caused $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock losses, disproportionately affecting poor countries.

A recent CGIAR brief outlines a holistic strategy for a just transition, centered on three pillars: advancing climate-smart research, providing financial and technical support to farmers, and ensuring policy coherence by integrating agriculture into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Yet, with only 1.7% of global climate finance reaching smallholders, a significant funding gap remains. While the Loss and Damage Fund offers hope, its impact depends on the political will to prioritize agriculture as a central pillar of climate resilience and a vital solution to the climate crisis.