COP28's Day for Food, Agriculture, and Water Gathers Major Commitments on Food Systems

On December 10, 2023, COP28 celebrated Food, Agriculture, and Water Day to address and promote global food and water security and keep the 1.5C within reach. The day's focus was to find sustainable alternatives to traditional agriculture, which is responsible for one-third of human-made greenhouse gas emissions globally.

COP28's Food, Agriculture, and Water Day closed the Presidency's two-week thematic program. The announcements made during the day follow those made during the World Climate Action Summit (WCAS) on December 1, when 134 countries endorsed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action (the Declaration). Since then, 18 additional countries have stepped forward to endorse it, bringing total signatories to 152. COP28 Food, Agriculture, and Water Day involved non-government stakeholders, who were invited to share their perspectives and insights. This included smallholder and traditional farmers, fishers, and communities who work at the frontline of food system transformation. Private sector leaders also showcased their work in food innovation, nature-positivity, and procurement.

The key announcements on food systems transformation during Food, Agriculture, and Water Day included:

• The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4Climate) announced an increased $3.4 billion in aggregated funding for climate-smart food systems and agriculture, as well as 27 new innovation sprints.
• Philanthropic support of USD$389 million to support food producers and consumers and help the implementation of the objectives that leaders agreed to the Declaration.
• Technical Cooperation Collaborative, a group of international organizations and governments with USD$200 million commitment. 
• 'Call to Action for Transforming Food Systems for People, Nature, and Climate', a complement to the Declaration where signatories committed to taking 10 priority actions to transform food systems. 
• Convergence Initiative on Food Systems and Climate, which will support countries in their efforts to integrate agriculture and food systems into their climate action plans and help drive momentum towards the objectives of the Declaration. 
• The creation of the Agrifood Sharm-El Sheikh Support Program, a three-year program to facilitate dialogue and knowledge-sharing amongst global and regional policymakers.
• ‘COP28 Food-Agri-Climate National Action Toolkit for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)' to provide guiding principles for governments to enhance their climate policy frameworks.
• Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation, formed by Brazil, Cambodia, Norway, and Sierra Leone to help reorient policies, practices, and investment priorities to deliver better food systems outcomes for people, nature, and climate. 

For more details, read the press release on the COP28 website.