Setting International Policy Objectives for Agriculture Transitions in Pursuit of the 1.5°C Goal

Agriculture systems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but they also play a fundamental role in preventing global warming. As the international climate community attempts to align policy with the 1.5°C goal, how will the agriculture sector play a role in helping to achieve this goal?

Solutions must go beyond reductions in point-of-production emissions to include changes in supply chains and consumption patterns. New perspectives on land management and restoration, soil carbon sequestration, and food systems will be important to consider in framing agriculture policy discussions. But most importantly, agriculture policy must also protect the rights of small-holder farmers, women, and indigenous people; safeguard food and nutrition security; and align with the Sustainable Development Goals.

This policy dialogue brief presents key discussion points, observations, and recommendations from a group of experts, policymakers, and civil society organizations, gathered as a part of a larger series of dialogues on the land use sector and climate change. While the conversation in this dialogue focused on climate mitigation, it simultaneously sought to ensure frameworks for improved food security, the enhancement and protection of the rights of farmers and indigenous people, and the maintenance of biodiversity, the last of which is essential to all ecosystems.