Agriculture and food are key topics at the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which began on November 11 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Delegates from across the globe have gathered in Baku for two weeks of discussions, negotiations and collaborative efforts aimed at addressing the climate crisis with ‘urgency and ambition’.

Organised by the Azerbaijani government, COP29 will focus on strategies to limit global warming, adapt to climate impacts and secure funding for these initiatives.

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The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) emphasised that the conference offers ‘a platform for showcasing the unique role of agriculture and food systems in combating climate change’.

The FAO is partnering with COP29’s presidency to promote transformative climate solutions in agri-food systems, including a special programme on Food, Agriculture and Water Day on November 19.

A dedicated Food and Agriculture Pavilion at COP29 will encourage collaborative discussions, knowledge exchange and decision-making on how agriculture and food systems can contribute to climate change.

This will highlight efforts to promote adaptation and cut emissions across food, land and water systems, ensuring food, nutrition and water security for vulnerable small-scale producers and food-insecure populations.

Other sessions at COP29 will address topics such as finance, investment and trade; energy, peace and recovery; urbanisation, transport and tourism; health; education; and biodiversity.

During the opening of COP29, UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell urged: "We mustn’t let 1.5° slip out of reach. Even as temperatures rise, the implementation of our agreements must claw them back."

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that surpassing the 1.5° threshold could trigger severe climate impacts, including more intense droughts, heatwaves and rainfall.

Recent data from the EU’s Copernicus Earth Observation Programme suggests that 2024 could become the ‘warmest year on record and the first to exceed 1.5° above pre-industrial levels.’

Stiell also stressed the importance of reaching a new global climate finance goal, emphasising that this ‘is entirely in the self-interest of every single nation, including the largest and wealthiest’.

He added: “If nations can’t build resilience into supply chains, the entire global economy will be brought to its knees. No country is immune.”