WFO Secretary General Andrea Porro reflects on the outcomes of the 2026 Bonn Climate Change Conference and the need to turn negotiations into action for farmers, food security and climate resilience.

The 2026 Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB64) closed on 18 June with limited progress on several key issues. For farmers and rural communities already facing mounting climate and economic pressures, the outcomes of SB64 did not match the urgency of the challenges ahead.

The stakes in Bonn were particularly high for agriculture. The Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security (SJWA) is entering its final year, with its mandate due to conclude at COP31 in Antalya. SB64 hosted the second of two mandated workshops on identifying needs and accessing means of implementation. Expectations were that the discussions and lessons emerging from previous sessions would help shape a strong final report to the Conference of the Parties.

Instead, several important elements that had already been developed and discussed were left unresolved and deferred to Antalya. While Parties held differing views on the scope and content of the text, the outcome ultimately provided only limited guidance on implementation.

At the same time, some encouraging signals emerged. Countries are increasingly integrating climate action on agriculture, food systems, and food security into their national plans and policies, demonstrating that the work undertaken under the SJWA is having an impact beyond the negotiating rooms. The conclusions also invite the operating entities of Financial Mechanism to take the joint work into account in their actions and work plans. These are signals worth building on in the months ahead.

The same need for greater ambition was evident in discussions on the Just Transition Work Programme. The UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency which WFO coordinates has consistently underlined that a just transition must work for rural communities. In Bonn, we pushed for access to finance for women, young, and family farmers. The agreement reached on the terms of reference for its 2026 review at COP31 provides an opportunity to strengthen this agenda further.

Progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation also remained elusive. Yet adaptation is not an abstract concept for agriculture. Farmers are already facing the consequences of climate change and are investing in resilience every day. Adaptation in food systems depends on finance that is accessible, predictable, and available at scale. Without a clear financial signal from the UNFCCC, the most vulnerable farming communities will continue to adapt on their own.

These negotiations unfolded against a backdrop of increasing global uncertainty

Recent tensions in the Middle East and disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz have heightened concerns over global energy supply chains, placing additional pressure on fuel and fertilisers markets. At the same time, the World Meteorological Organisation has warned that El Niño has a strong likelihood of becoming a powerful one this year, driving widespread weather anomalies, severe drought in some regions and increased flooding in others.

For farmers, none of this is abstract. It is felt in input costs, planting decisions, yields and livelihoods. The climate crisis does not arrive in isolation. It compounds existing vulnerabilities and interacts with wider economic and geopolitical pressures. At a time when farmers are being asked to produce more with fewer resources and under increasingly unpredictable conditions, climate negotiations must deliver outcomes that reflect this reality.

The UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency highlighted these concerns during the closing plenary, stressing that the fuel and fertiliser crisis is placing additional strain on farmers, agriculture and food security. While these realities were acknowledged during the discussions, the final outcomes do not yet fully reflect the scale and urgency of the challenges facing farming communities.

At the same time, farmers are not waiting for negotiations to catch up. Across the world, they are already investing in adaptation, improving water management, adopting innovative practices and contributing to more resilient food systems. What they need is an enabling environment that recognises their role, strengthens farmers’ organisations and ensures that climate finance reaches those implementing solutions on the ground.

The position of the UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency has always been clear: farmers are agents of solutions, not sources of the problem, and their rights must be at the heart of agriculture negotiations. This principle, recognised in the SJWA’s own founding text, should be reflected in future outcomes.

COP31 cannot be another round of deferred decisions. The SJWA’s final report to Antalya should reflect the substance and lessons generated since 2022. Climate finance for agriculture must be accessible, predictable, and directed to those who need it most. The Just Transition Mechanism, agreed in principle at COP30 in Belém should translate into instruments that reach rural communities. And progress on adaptation finance is essential if countries are to strengthen resilience and food security.

In the months ahead, WFO and the UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency will continue to engage through submissions to the SJWA online portal, the sixth JTWP dialogue, and the Pre-COP processes in Fiji and Tuvalu in October. We will continue to bring evidence, farmers’ voices and practical solutions to the table.

Farmers are already delivering solutions. The challenge for the international community is to ensure that policy frameworks, financial mechanisms and implementation pathways evolve with the same sense of urgency. Farmers cannot afford further delays, and neither can global food security.

Cover photo: ©IISD/ENB – Kiara Worth