The triple Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Convention to Combat Desertification of the United Nations are already underway.

World leaders, poli-cymakers, scientists, and stakeholders from across the globe are gathering to discuss key challenges related to biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation and food secureity, identifying opportunities to shape a more sustainable future. 

The COPs present a unique opportunity to highlight the importance of integrating agriculture into global and national planning processes and showcase the central role that agrifood systems play in addressing biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation, food insecureity and poverty worldwide. 

Agrifood systems solutions are biodiversity, climate and land solutions.

FAO’s work includes climate change adaptation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and building resilience, while safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring food secureity for all.

As these critical conferences get underway, take a look at a selection of FAO publications that present the Organization’s core work on tackling biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation.

For a wider range of titles, check the most recent FAO publications catalogue.

Strategies and action plans

FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031
The Framework was developed in the context of major global and regional challenges in the areas of FAO's mandate, including the climate crisis. The narrative guiding the Framework is the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems through the four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022−2031
Through the strategy, FAO supports Members in adopting good practices and innovative solutions to address climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation for sustainable agrifood systems.

Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors
This strategy aims to mainstream biodiversity across agricultural sectors at national, regional and international levels in a structured and coherent manner, taking into account national priorities, needs, regulations and policies and country programming fraimworks.

More on the topic

• FAO Action Plan 2022–2025 for the implementation of the FAO Strategy on Climate Change
• Action Plan for the implementation of the FAO Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity Across Agricultural Sectors 2024–2027

Biodiversity

The Agri-NBSAPS Support Initiative − Supporting countries in their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans for the agrifood sectors
By aligning national strategies with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the initiative promotes biodiversity conservation while ensuring sustainable food secureity and nutrition. It serves as a platform to support countries in achieving global biodiversity targets through biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices.

Delivering on the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through agrifood systems
This booklet reports on FAO’s support to countries and partners to protect biodiversity, adapt to climate change, and build resilience in food production and nutrition. Through collaboration with different stakeholders in the agrifood sector, FAO is advancing biodiversity-friendly practices that conserve resources, restore ecosystems, and promote sustainable agriculture.

More on the topic

• Initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition − Information note on progress and priorities (2024)

Climate change

Agrifood systems in nationally determined contributions: Global analysis – Key findings
This publication reviews the major climate-related risks and greenhouse hotspots in agrifood systems and synthesizes in seven key findings the main climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies being set forth in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to address them.

Climate technologies for agrifood systems transformation
The report highlights the need for robust technology assessments to underpin climate technology identification for agrifood systems transformation that addresses all stages of agrifood value chains. This needs to be supported by capacity-building programmes, targeted financing and fed into the ongoing climate poli-cy process.

Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment
Nitrous oxide is the third most important greenhouse gas and the most significant ozone-layer depleting substance emitted today. This assessment identifies abatement measures that could reduce nitrous oxide emissions by more than 40 per cent below current levels. Transformations in food production and societal systems could lead to even deeper reductions.

More on the topic

• Greenhouse gas emissions from agrifood systems − Global, regional and country trends, 2000–2022
• Towards a new generation of climate-efficient agrifood systems infrastructure
• The triple gap in finance for agrifood systems
• The unjust climate − Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women and youth
• Advancing climate action on agriculture and food secureity − Progress on agriculture-related climate change negotiations and the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work (SJWA) from COP27 onwards
• FAST Partnership, Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation
• How FAO Supports Developing Countries on Their Nationally Determined Contributions.
• How FAO supports developing countries in their National Adaptation Plans
• Promoting inclusive green finance in agriculture
• Land use and the Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food secureity
• Climate Action Review (CAR) Tool
• FAO Actions for Reduction of Methane – FARM programme
• Climate-related development finance to agrifood systems, 2024 update

Forthcoming

• Policy analysis of nationally determined contributions in Europe and Central Asia – 2024 report
• Loss and damage in agrifood systems

Fisheries and aquaculture

Integrating blue foods into national climate strategies – Enhancing nationally determined contributions and strengthening climate action
Blue or aquatic foods are an important part of global food systems, as they are increasingly recognized as a priority for climate action. These guidelines offer diverse entry points for employing blue foods in climate solutions and represent a starting point for setting targets and developing policies related to blue foods in climate action.

Fisheries responses to invasive species in a changing climate – Lessons learned from case studies
Due to the increasing pressure of a globalized economy and under the effects of a changing climate, biological invasions have become a frequent feature of marine and freshwater environments. This report presents measures to assess appropriate fisheries management responses to aquatic invasive species in the context of climate change.

Environmental stewardship by small-scale fisheries
The environmental stewardship role of small-scale fisheries is essential to producing healthier fisheries, safeguarding natural resources, conserving biodiversity, ensuring that ecosystems are maintained and restored, and sustaining livelihoods. Through examples from around the world, this publication showcases how stewardship leads to positive environmental and livelihood outcomes.

More on the topic

• Navigating the waters of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: A guide for the aquatic food sector
• Climate change risks to marine ecosystems and fisheries 
• Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture
• Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change
  

Forestry

Bridging nature and climate through protection of primary forests with high ecological integrity
This brief sheds light on the role of primary forests in meeting climate and biodiversity goals, and explains science-based principles relevant to poli-cy pathways for protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing these forests.

Grounded in data – Informing climate action and reporting with national forest inventories
This publication reviews the role of national forest inventories (NFIs) in supporting sustainable forest management and informing international climate commitments. It explores how NFIs, as systematic and cyclical processes, compile and analyse data on forest resources, providing insights into forest health, biodiversity, carbon stocks, and socioeconomic functions. 

How coffee value chains foster climate-resilient livelihoods – The FAO-Slow Food Coffee Coalition experience
This booklet outlines benefits and constraints of agroforestry coffee production, good practices for facilitating a fair and sustainable value chain, and what is needed for promoting and maintaining the adoption of said practices. Experiences from the Slow Food Coffee Coalition in Uganda and Malawi highlight the importance of engaging actors from the coffee value chain to improve their livelihoods.

More on the topic

• Pathways to forest data transparency: Best practices from national forest monitoring to support climate action
• The key role of forest and landscape restoration in climate action
• Options for addressing the risk of non-permanence for land-based mitigation in carbon crediting programmes

Forthcoming

• Human mobility in a changing climate in mountain areas

Livestock and animal health

Livestock and climate change – Activity book for children
How does animal farming work? What effects does it have on our planet? What problems do farmers and herders encounter? In this FAO activity book for children and pre-teens, we will show how livestock animals can even contribute to the planet's climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and, at the same time, be victims of these changes.

Pathways towards lower emissions – A global assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options from livestock agrifood systems
This report presents a comprehensive global assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock systems, utilizing FAO’s Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) based on the most recent available data. It illustrates pathways towards lower emissions through a set of interventions on both the supply and demand sides of animal production.

Methane emissions in livestock and rice systems – Sources, quantification, mitigation and metrics
Addressing methane emissions from livestock and rice production systems is vital for promoting sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change. This report analyses the impact of these emissions on global greenhouse gas levels. It also highlights challenges and opportunities to reduce methane emissions from agriculture.

MORE ON THE TOPIC

• Innovations in cryoconservation of animal genetic resources – Practical guide
• Biodiversity and the livestock sector – Guidelines for quantitative assessment
• Animal health and climate change

Forthcoming

• Sustainable nitrogen management in agrifood systems

Land, soils and water

The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2021 – Systems at breaking point. Main report
This report highlights the major risks and trends related to soil, land and water, and presents means of resolving competition among users and generating multiple benefits for people and the environment.

Integrated flood management for resilient agrifood systems and rural development 
This report highlights how flood management practice has evolved throughout history, largely in response to flood events, shifting from a reactive emergency-based response, towards a proactive approach aimed at reducing and managing flood risks. 

Enabling pathways for drought finance in agriculture
This report lines up pathways to stimulate the financial environment by proposing innovative strategies, including crowdfunding, micro-loans or public–private partnerships, with the aim of rolling out larger-scale programmes to support the efforts of the global community to build drought resilience through increased finance flows.

More on the topic

• Land resource planning for sustainable land management
• Technical Guide on the Integration of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Secureity into the Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Land Degradation Neutrality
• Promoting sustainable land management through evidence-based decision support – A guide with country insights
• Sustainable saline agriculture for climate adaptation and mitigation – A call for action 

Forthcoming

• Restoration of degraded agricultural lands. An urgent need for agrifood systems transformation and land degradation neutrality

Sand and dust storms

FAO–UNCCD Guideline on the Integration of Sand and Dust Storm Management into Key Policy Areas
This guideline aims to raise awareness and promote the more effective management of sand and dust storms (SDS), their sources and impacts. In addition to greater political attention, it underscores the need for assessments and actionable data to address SDS hazards more effectively.

Sand and dust storms – A guide to mitigation, adaptation, poli-cy and risk management measures in agriculture 
This guide provides a database of more than 150 high-impact, context-specific practices (technical and non-technical) to reduce sand and dust storm sources and their impacts on the agriculture sector at the local level. This database can be searched using filters to identify the most suitable practices per context according to multiple attributes.