Farmers today are being asked to do more than ever before: produce more food, adapt to a changing climate, reduce emissions, and protect biodiversity. Yet they are often the least empowered actors in the food value chain, with shrinking margins and limited access to the tools and resources needed to lead the transformation.

At the recent “Cultivating Tomorrow: Innovation Meets Sustainability” conference hosted by the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), WFO Advocacy, Policy, and Partnerships Lead Luisa Volpe brought a much-needed reality check to the table. Speaking on the panel “Climate Change: What Would It Take to Achieve Ambitious Decarbonisation in the Fertiliser Industry?”, she called for a fundamental shift—from top-down solutions to farmer-centred approaches.

“Farmers are squeezed between upstream and downstream expectations across the value chain,” she pointed out. “Decarbonising the agricultural sector is a shared responsibility. The pace of transformation must be inclusive—because the speed of any group is determined by its slowest member.”

The session also explored innovative technologies and practices to address climate change in the fertiliser sector, focusing on decarbonisation in both production and use. Yet, as Volpe highlighted, farmers continue to face several critical barriers:

• Access to knowledge and innovation that is practical, relevant, and context specific.
• Access to finance to invest in new practices and technologies.
• And, overarching all of this, the growing impacts of climate change exacerbate both.

Volpe also reminded the audience that agriculture is deeply rooted in nature. While innovation is essential, it cannot replace the natural cycles and limitations farmers navigate every day.

“Let’s prioritise results over speed and pursue win-win solutions for the fertiliser industry, the farmers, and the environment,” she concluded.

Through its ongoing advocacy, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) continues to advance a vision where farmers are not just participants but co-creators of the transition. From climate-smart agriculture to the sustainable use of fertilisers, solutions must be tailored to farmers’ realities—because meaningful change in agriculture will only happen with farmers at the centre.