From 6 to 8 May 2025, representatives from the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) participated in the high-level workshop “Identifying Levers for the Transformation of Agrifood Systems: Bridging Collaboration for Improved Climate Finance Access,” hosted by the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership at the FAO headquarters in Rome.

The WFO delegation, composed of Secretary General Dr Andrea Porro, Advocacy, Policy and Partnerships Practice Leader Ms Luisa Volpe, and Senior Officer Mr Francesco Brusaporco, actively engaged in technical discussions focused on scaling up and improving the flow of climate finance to the agriculture sector. They highlighted the pressing need for enhanced cooperation across the agrifood value chain and with key financial actors, including Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Public Development Banks in Agriculture (Agri-PDBs), and private banks, many of which were also represented at the workshop.

The discussions reaffirmed the vital role of farmers’ organisations and agricultural cooperatives in ensuring that finance reaches those working directly on the ground. This key message was strongly echoed in the workshop’s concluding remarks.

Alongside WFO, other leading farmers’ organisations, such as the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and the World Rural Forum (WRF), contributed to shaping the dialogue, reinforcing the collective voice of farmers in this crucial debate.

The workshop also marked the launch of a new strategic initiative by the FAST Partnership to map the landscape of actors operating at the intersection of agrifood systems, climate change, and finance—an important step towards building stronger, more inclusive collaborations.

WFO remains committed to ensuring that farmers’ needs, and perspectives are at the heart of global discussions on climate finance and agrifood systems transformation.

Photo cover by ©FAO/Cristiano Minichiello