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COP28 Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes: accelerating the transition

Global food systems are facing significant sustainability challenges that demand prompt and collaborative action

Modern food systems contribute to about a third of total GHG emissions and require large amounts of water, energy and land, thus leading to biodiversity loss. Moreover, the system is characterized by inequitable access to food and resources as well as an increased vulnerability to shocks.

The widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture has a critical role in shifting to global food systems towards meeting the needs of present and future generations without depleting nature.

Regenerative landscapes prioritize the restoration and enhancement of ecosystem functions and support farmers’ empowerment and livelihoods.

Regenerative agriculture involves practices such as cover cropping, crop rotation, no tillage, reduced use of chemicals and holistic grazing with the aim to improve soil fertility, water retention, biodiversity enhancement, carbon sequestration and to foster more resilient agricultural systems.

Working at a landscape level creates an opportunity for farmers and stakeholders to engage with local communities, restore natural habitats, manage water sustainably and improve soil health – thus impacting not only farm-level outcomes but also the broader ecosystem.

Transitioning towards regenerative landscapes requires a multifaceted approach involving financial incentives and technical support for farmers who adopt sustainable practices, enabling government policies, research and development efforts to improve these techniques, and educational efforts. Global and collective action is indispensable. In this context, corporations play a crucial role.

The COP28 Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes is a flagship initiative led by the COP28 Presidency, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and supported by the UN High Level Climate Champions (HLCC). It aims to aggregate, accelerate and amplify existing efforts and new commitments to transition large agricultural landscapes to regenerative landscapes by 2030.

The Action Agenda will drive impact by creating the transparency needed to unlock and scale up efforts over the years

COP30 will represent a key milestone, where participants will be required to show progress across five key impact areas – soil health, GHG emissions, biodiversity, water and farmer livelihoods. 

The COP28 Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes aims to work together in the lead up to COP30 to overcome key challenges and jointly accelerate the transition towards future-proofed food and agriculture systems.

Food value chain players, financiers, local governments and other stakeholders are invited to engage with the Action Agenda to:

– Foster transparency