Ahead of COP31, Agriculture Gets Just 2.5% of Public Climate Finance

Agriculture and land use systems currently receive just 2.5% of all public climate finance, even though the sector generates roughly 33% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The figures were cited ahead of COP31, the United Nations climate conference starting November 9 in Antalya, Turkey. Many in the sector hope the balance will shift, which would affect how well smallholder farmers can adapt to climate change.

Funding and the sector's share

Ismahane Elouafi, executive managing director of CGIAR, the international agricultural research organisation, said in a webinar that if agrifood accounts for 33% of emissions, the finance supporting it should reach a similar level. Climate finance is a key agenda item at COP31. The UN defines it as funds from public, private and alternative sources to support mitigation and adaptation, particularly in developing countries.

Farming and land use, especially smallholder operations in low- and middle-income countries, are among the sectors most vulnerable to climate risks.

From forecasts to action on farms

Todd Rosenstock, director of CGIAR Climate Action, stressed that predictions alone are not enough: "farmers don't eat forecasts." He said success is measured by whether forecasts change farmers' actions, reduce losses and lower emissions. With El Niño, for example, farmers should be able to adjust planting dates, crop choices, and water and livestock management. That requires resources, institutions and trusted ways of delivering information.

Adaptation first

Elouafi argued that investment should go to farmers first, particularly in developing countries. She pointed to a large yield gap: farmers may get 1.5 units per hectare on land that could yield eight with better practices. Instead of clearing more land, she said, support should go to better seeds, irrigation and other innovation on land already in use.

Technology and AI

Rosenstock cited CGIAR work on rice farms in Southeast Asia, where methane emissions are cut by alternately wetting and drying fields. The method does not work everywhere, since not all farmers control their own water. On artificial intelligence, he noted that training data so far has not been inclusive of farmers in Africa, the Americas and Asia. Elouafi warned that funding could be squeezed toward AI and technology at the expense of other areas, noting that some smallholders may not even have a phone.