Key Outcomes and Future Steps from SB60: Advancing Climate Action in Agriculture

One of the key negotiation streams during SB60 was on Food and Agriculture, specifically the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security, known as SSJW. This four-year implementation work was agreed upon during COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The SSJW builds on the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) outcomes, established at COP23 in 2017 as a landmark process to advance discussions on agriculture in the UNFCCC. It is the only formal process through which agriculture and food are included in the UNFCCC.

SSJW recognises the need to safeguard food security, end hunger, and address the vulnerabilities of food production systems to the adverse impacts of climate change. It highlights the role of farmers as key agents of change, recognising that solutions are context-specific and must consider national circumstances.

Negotiations on SSJW had previously stalled during SB58 and COP28, leading to an 18-month delay. However, SB60 provided a breakthrough in the negotiations as Parties agreed on the SSJW draft conclusion text after holding six rounds of negotiations, marking a significant milestone. The text was forwarded to the SBSTA and SBI Chairs and adopted at the closing session of SB60.

The agreed text includes a roadmap for implementing all the elements of SSJW in relation to the operationalization of the joint work; new workshop topics; annual synthesis report; and the development of an online portal with the outcomes of the joint work being reported by the Secretariat at COP 31.

The text is a compromise, with parties dropping their hardline positions to advance the Agriculture and Food work, guided by the best interests of humanity and the planet. Although some parties initially expected three workshops, they agreed that this wasn’t feasible given the 18-month delay. Others sought a coordination mechanism outside the UNFCCC Secretariat but accepted the mandate for the Secretariat to coordinate the joint work.

A key area of contention was the position of food systems within food and agriculture. Some Parties, mainly developed countries, advocated for including food systems as part of a holistic approach. In contrast, others, primarily developing countries, feared this would shift the focus of food and agriculture to mitigation rather than adaptation, which has always centered on food security. After extensive consultations, including informal-informal sessions, food systems was included in the text under the first workshop on systemic and holistic approaches, to be held during SB62, expected in mid-2025.

The inclusion of food systems in the discussions around food and agriculture at SB62 represents a significant shift towards a more integrated and comprehensive approach. This will ensure that climate discussions and actions around food and agriculture consider all value chains, including the interconnectedness of food production, distribution, consumption, and waste.

This approach will also promote sustainability by encouraging environmentally friendly, economically viable, and socially equitable food and agriculture actions, potentially leading to long-term food security. Additionally, the holistic approach may enhance the transfer of relevant technologies and innovative practices in food and agriculture across the globe. Thus, the inclusion of food systems in food and agriculture discussions at SB62 can be seen as a positive step towards a more holistic and sustainable approach.

The concerns of developing countries that the focus might shift more towards climate change mitigation rather than adaptation are valid. Mitigation efforts, while crucial, might overshadow the immediate needs of food security and adaptation in regions already facing food scarcity and climatic challenges, including diverting food and agriculture efforts to mitigation actions.

That said, it is worth noting that the inclusion of food systems in the text at this level is just one of the holistic approaches to be covered in the workshop. Any further inclusion of food systems in future negotiation outcome texts will be negotiated. However, having it explicitly mentioned as part of the workshop makes it easier to be considered in future negotiation outcome texts. Based on this, whenever the parties agree to include food systems in future texts, the discussions should be clear on countries’ circumstances, ensuring that people’s access to food and cultural rights are respected. To ensure this, it is crucial that the voices and needs of developing countries be heard and addressed in these discussions. There is a risk that the interests of developed countries, which are often better resourced and more influential, could dominate the agenda in the future.

We hope that future discussions will balance the focus between mitigation and adaptation to ensure that the immediate needs of food security, particularly in developing countries, are not overshadowed. Ongoing dialogue, equitable resource allocation, and inclusive policymaking will be crucial to achieving this balance and ensuring that the integration of food systems benefits all parties involved.

The second workshop will focus on progress, challenges and opportunities related to identifying needs and accessing means of implementation for climate action in agriculture and food security, including sharing of best practices. This workshop is scheduled for SB64, informed by the expected release of the New Collective and Quantified Goals (NCQG) for climate finance report during SB62 which will most likely inform the workshop on means of implementation. Countries now need to submit views on the subject of the workshops, options for their format and suggested speakers by the deadline of 1^st March 2025.

Stakeholders in food and agriculture, and other climate actors, should therefore pay close attention to the NCQG, as effective climate action heavily depends on climate finance. The issue of coordination of agriculture will be discussed during the workshops to report at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil. Parties also gave the Secretariat the mandate to start the process of developing the online portal which will be considered in COP31.

Negotiators’ positions are often influenced by their countries’ circumstances as well as the difference in responsibilities and respective capabilities. This was evident during the food and agriculture negotiations at SB60. Despite differing views, parties listened to each other and made compromises when called upon, guided by the overarching need for the well-being of humanity and the planet, beyond the countries and regions’ special circumstances.

Similarly, during SB60, the COP29 Presidency and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations unveiled the Harmoniya Initiative at a COP presidency event dubbed Harmoniya 4 Climate Resilience: Empowering Farmers, Villages, and Rural communities as one of the mandated events. The initiative which will be officially launched during the Conference of Parties (COP) 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, will serve as a hub for work on agrifood systems during the conference.

The initiative focuses on food and agriculture, specifically targeting farmers, villages, and rural communities. It focuses on harmonizing agri-food actions, enhancing climate finance towards inclusive agri-food systems, and placing farmers, including women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples, at the centre of climate actions to foster climate-resilient villages and communities.

As the focus now shifts to COP 29, the COP29 Presidency has already indicated their intention to create an enabling environment for farmers and ensure broad stakeholder engagement, including Civil Society Organisations and the Private Sector, in advancing climate-resilient agrifood systems. This includes strong commitments to advancing some of the key decisions made at COP28, including the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action.

For more insights, you can read a previous article that builds on this titled “Increasing Importance of Sustainable Food Systems during COP” here.

Bob Aston is a Project Officer at the Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) baston@alin.net and Salome Owuonda is the Executive Director at the Africa Centre for Sustainable and Inclusive Development salome@africacsid.org