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For the first time ever, a UN climate conference has a special envoy for family farming – and food and agriculture have become more central to the negotiations than ever.

Agrifood systems account for about a third of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

In Brazil, which is hosting COP30, the sector represents about 29 percent of emissions in 2024, according to Observatório do Clima. Meanwhile, changes in land and soil use, often attributable to the expansion of agriculture, accounts for 49 percent.

Traditional agribusiness, including cattle ranching, is one of the main drivers of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, where COP30 is being held. But at the same time, agriculture has immense potential to capture carbon, contributing to climate mitigation.

But how has agriculture become such a central issue at COP30 – especially family farming and alternative forms of production like agroecology and agroforestry systems?

Agroecology at COP30

Paulo Petersen is the COP’s special envoy for family farming, appointed alongside 21 others by the COP30 president, Brazilian diplomat André Corrêa do Lago.

“Having food systems on the agenda is already an achievement,” he admits, highlighting the inclusion of family farming as a huge milestone.

But he says agribusiness has been trying to capture the narrative using the argument that “everything is agro.” That makes it especially important to distinguish family farming from agribusiness.

“[Family farming is] a form of labor organization and of relating to nature, because it’s a type of work based on adjusting to the ecosystems themselves, producing for local markets or for self-consumption,” he explains.

“It’s another kind of food system economy – and that is precisely what needs to be recognized and promoted if we are to address the climate and environmental crisis.”

Unlike agribusiness, family farming emphasizes producing a diverse variety of foods to meet the wide-ranging needs of local markets. “Today’s agrifood systems are based on monotonous production and consumption because they are geared toward producing and exporting commodities,” says Petersen.

“On the production side, that creates imbalances that are compensated for with fossil energy through agrochemicals. This is nothing more than using technology to compensate for imbalance.”

For Petersen, the way food systems are currently organized prevents them from delivering their essential purpose: providing food.

“It’s not enough to simply recognize family farming,” he emphasizes. “We need to strengthen the agroecological approach.”

Petersen is hopeful that the topic will be included on the ‘action agenda’ – an informal list of issues being pushed by Brazil with the aim of securing voluntary commitments from governments, businesses and civil society.

“Our best chance of getting family farming on the COP agenda is here in Brazil,” he says.

Still no consensus on sustainable agriculture

Beyond the action agenda, agriculture has its own track in the formal negotiations, too: the Sharm El Sheikh Joint Working Group. 

This group is responsible for achieving a consensus on what sustainable agriculture should look like and coordinating the transition towards it.

These negotiations began at COP27 in 2022, but food systems as a whole are a relatively new topic in this context, having only formally entered the process last year.

Experts say this working group aims to look for more holistic solutions. “So far, negotiations haven’t been easy, and there are very strong opinions about what sustainable agriculture should look like and how it should be implemented,” says Stephanie Maw, senior UN policy and advocacy manager at ProVeg International.

Maw stresses that without implementation, everything remains just “words on paper” – and financing will be crucial to turning it into reality.

To address the issue holistically and foster a just transition, she says it’s also essential to consider not only food production but also consumption: “they are two sides of the same coin.”

When it was established, the working group was given four years to present a solution – a mandate that expires next year. That means countries must reach an agreement on what sustainable agriculture should look like at COP31.

“In terms of negotiations, I would say that unfortunately, we are still at a very basic and technical level of discussion, and we are running out of time,” says Maw.

But there’s still reason for hope: “there is so much growing momentum around food systems and their importance in addressing climate change.”

“We hope the agriculture discussions will continue – and that there will be a bit more acceleration toward real, meaningful solutions that can be implemented quickly and effectively.”

Family farmers occupy COP30

Outside the negotiation rooms, farmers working with agroforestry systems are also here at the event, aiming to occupy these decision-making spaces and strengthen advocacy.

One of them is Thales Mendonça, director of global relations at the Inter-Continental Network of Organic Farmers Organisations (INOFO).

“We have never been at the heart of the story here to bring our strength,” says the farmer, who grows mushrooms along with his wife on a smallholding in southern Brazil.

“Ah, but you can’t feed the world!” he says, mocking critics of small-scale farming. “The thing is, food systems need to be redesigned.”

At COP30, Mendonça hopes to help lead a mutirão – a term promoted by Brazil meaning a global collective effort – to establish family farming as a pillar of the conference and add it to the negotiation texts.

Beyond that, he hopes to see family farming incorporated into indicators for climate adaptation – another hot topic at this COP – as well as discussions on loss and damage and a just transition.

“From many angles, we are seen as mere beneficiaries of policies or of what is discussed here, but we are part of the solution.”