The World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) is co-organising an official side event at COP30 to highlight farmer-led initiatives, practical solutions, and value-chain partnerships that are restoring degraded land and strengthening resilience across agricultural systems.

The session, titled “Restoring Land, Rebuilding Value: Farmer-Led Solutions for Climate, Soil, and Food Security,” will take place on 11 November, from 18:30 to 20:00, in Side Event Room 9, Blue Zone. It is organised in collaboration with the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA Brasil), the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), CropLife International, the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS), the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (Bioversity International) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

Why This Conversation Matters

More than 52% of global farmland is now moderately or severely degraded. FAO estimates that 1.66 billion hectares of land have been degraded as a result of human activities, with over 60% occurring on agricultural lands, from croplands to pastures. As 95% of global food production depends on land, this degradation poses significant risks to rural livelihoods and to global objectives on climate, biodiversity, and food security. Restoring agricultural land — particularly when driven by farmers and their organisations — represents a powerful opportunity to address these interconnected challenges.

Focus and Perspective

Responding to the challenge launched by the Brazilian Government under the COP30 Action Agenda and its thematic axis “Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems,” and in line with the RAIZ flagship initiative on Land Restoration and Sustainable Agriculture, the event will explore how locally led restoration efforts can be scaled through inclusive collaboration, strong farmer organisations, innovative partnerships, and enabling policies and finance, boosting rural economies, and create lasting value for people and the planet.

The panel will feature contributions from Andrea Porro (WFO), Bruno Dos Santos Alves Figueiredo Brasil (Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil), Renato Roscoe (Instituto Taquari Vivo), Tamar Toria (Georgian Farmers’ Association), Paul Zakariya (Zimbabwe Farmers Union), Marcela Quintero (Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT), Laurie Goodwin (CropLife International), Martial Bernoux (FAO), Nick Oakes (Impact Earth Fund) and Helena Van Tichelen (IAAS).

The session will be moderated by Ceris Jones, Focal Point of the UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency.

Looking Ahead

Through this event, WFO and its partners aim to demonstrate how farmer-led and collaborative approaches to land restoration and sustainable agriculture The session will also reflect on the enabling conditions required to scale these efforts — from access to finance and innovation to supportive policy frameworks — while fostering wider dialogue among farmers, researchers, industry, and financial actors on strengthening cooperation and investment in land restoration.