As SJWA enters a critical phase, the UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency urges recognition of farmers as core implementing partners in climate action and finance.

Following the suspension of negotiations under the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security (SJWA) at COP30, the UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency — with the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) as its Focal Point — has submitted a contribution outlining priorities for the way forward.

With the next workshop planned for June 2026 at the Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB 64), Parties and observers have raised concerns that the four-year programme is losing direction and that agriculture-related discussions might move to tracks lacking technical expertise. The submission highlights the need to integrate agriculture, food systems, and food security into climate action frameworks through a systemic approach.

Against this backdrop, the message to the international community is clear: implementation will only be effective if farmers and their representative organisations are fully recognised as “core implementing partners.” As “stewards of land, managers of risk and innovators under pressure,” farmers are not just observers of climate change; they are the primary actors in securing food security while adapting to increasingly extreme weather patterns.

From Discussion to Practical Action

The Farmers’ Constituency calls for the upcoming SJWA workshop to move beyond theoretical debate and focus strictly on “means of implementation for practical action.” A “top-down approach will not work”; climate policies must instead be locally driven, grounded in the “lived realities of farmers worldwide,” and recognise the diversity of farming systems and local contexts. To support this, the SJWA must provide clear guidance on raising “credible ambition and action for agriculture” through active farmer engagement. This requires formalising farmer participation in the design and implementation of National Climate Plans (NDCs and NAPs) and ensuring meaningful farmer representation in the workshop itself—across regions and farming systems—so that diverse realities are reflected in the discussion.

A critical priority is breaking the barriers to climate finance. Aligned with the “Baku to Belém Roadmap,” the Constituency identifies several practical pathways to bridge the gap between global finance and local needs. These include “simplified accreditation pathways” for farmer organisations to access funds under the GCF and Adaptation Fund, targeted support such as “small-grant windows” for farmer-led adaptation projects, and investment frameworks that allow agricultural value chains to scale climate action. At the same time, strengthening enabling environments that ensure “adequate fiscal incentives and fair prices for farm products” remains essential to making climate action both effective and sustainable.

With the mandate of the SJWA nearing its expiration, the Farmers’ Constituency urges Parties to “seize the moment to think collectively and creatively.” Looking ahead, the SJWA must remain future-oriented, making sure that agriculture’s unique role is fully recognised and reflected in farmer-driven, science-based solutions.

This submission complements ongoing contributions by the Farmers’ Constituency across other UNFCCC processes, including recent inputs on the operationalisation of the Belém Action Mechanism on Just Transitions.

Read the full Farmers’ Constituency submission to the SJWA HERE

Photo cover by UN Climate Change – Lara Murillo