Six countries urge faster action on food systems and biodiversity at COP17

Ministers and government representatives from six countries have called for greater investment in sustainable food production at COP17, warning that governments must accelerate efforts to meet global biodiversity targets by 2030.

Representatives from Sierra Leone, Brazil, Norway, Italy, Cambodia and Viet Nam say changes to agriculture, fisheries and food production will be critical to meeting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 23 targets, more than half of which depend on food systems transformation.

The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) also highlighted the potential benefits of changing farming practices. In Viet Nam, a low-emission rice programme has reportedly increased yields by 12 percent while cutting input costs by 40 percent.

In a joint statement, the countries urged governments, financial institutions and businesses to increase investment in agroecology, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, agroforestry and landscape restoration. They also called for more accessible and predictable financing to help farmers adopt sustainable practices.

The intervention comes as governments gather in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October for the first collective review of progress towards the global biodiversity framework, adopted in 2022.

Agreeing targets is the easy part. Implementation is where the real work begins.”

Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Rice programme highlights potential for wider benefits

According to ACF, Viet Nam’s programme now covers 354,000 hectares and has reduced irrigation water use by 20 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by approximately three to four tonnes of CO₂ per hectare per crop.

Nguyen Quoc Tri, Viet Nam’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, said the country aims to expand the programme to one million hectares.

“Viet Nam’s One Million Hectares programme is showing that farmers can grow more rice with less harm to nature. Where the new practices are applied, fertiliser use is down by around 30 percent, water use by 20 percent and pesticide sprays have been cut, while yields and profits have gone up. With agriculture and environment now in one ministry, we can scale this from more than 350,000 hectares today to a million. The targets have been agreed. This is how we deliver them.”

Alongside the statement, ACF published a new biodiversity progress snapshot, highlighting reported progress in agricultural production, land restoration and food waste.

What does this mean for food businesses?

Despite these examples, the ministers warn in their joint statement that “isolated progress will not be enough”, arguing that successful approaches must become more widely adopted, with investment reaching the farmers and communities responsible for delivering change.

Much of the food industry’s impact on biodiversity originates upstream, where agricultural practices influence soil health, water availability and land use. Supporting changes at farm level could help reduce environmental pressures while protecting the resources on which food production depends.

Some companies are already investing in this transition. Earlier this month, Danone announced support for regenerative agriculture across more than 2,500 hectares of British farmland, including regions supplying oats for its Alpro products.

Partnerships such as these could help share the costs of agricultural change, although businesses still need evidence that the measures deliver lasting environmental improvements, rather than simply tracking the area of land covered.

Beyond changes to farming practices, reducing food loss and waste offers another way to limit pressure on natural ecosystems. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization recently warned that approximately 1.4 billion hectares of agricultural land are used to produce food that ultimately goes uneaten.

Financing the transition

Scaling these approaches will require sustained investment, particularly where farmers face upfront costs before the benefits of changing production practices become apparent.

The joint statement highlights persistent barriers to agricultural investment, reporting that just 0.8 percent of climate finance reaches smallholder farmers. High borrowing costs and complex funding processes further restrict access, reinforcing the ministers’ call for “accessible, predictable and flexible funding” to support long-term changes in food production.

ACF argues that governments must also integrate biodiversity objectives into agricultural policies and national budgets. Sierra Leone has taken steps in this direction through its Feed Salone initiative, increasing national spending on agricultural transformation from two to eight percent since 2023.

Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said: “Agreeing targets is the easy part. Implementation is where the real work begins. With Sierra Leone’s environment and agriculture ministries working as one, we are giving biodiversity a place in our laws, institutions and budgets. Our farmers are already restoring the land that feeds us. What we need now is finance that is as committed as they are.”