The global climate change agenda is increasingly recognizing the critical role of agriculture and farmers.

AgriSA, alongside the global farming community, was among the voices at COP29 amplifying this message. Dubbed the Finance COP, COP29 is expected to sign a new funding target for developed countries to assist developing nations in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing the escalating impacts of climate change.

“Agriculture emerged as the only sector capable of addressing both emission reductions and global food security, emphasizing the strong focus on incentivizing climate mitigation and adaptation practices through innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms”, said Jolanda Andrag, AgriSA’s COO who attended the event.

During Water, Food and Agriculture Day, it was encouraging to note that science-backed farm-level innovations that take a systems approach to emissions reductions were put forward as the point of departure for discussions regarding the future role of agriculture in climate change.

Our American farmer counterparts highlighted research from the Kansas State University indicating that the largest reduction of emissions on farms will come from the aggressive adoption of practices that farmers are already accustomed to.

In particular, farmer groupings highlighted the management of soil carbon, manure, grazing, nitrogen fertilizer, animal and crop production, and efficient energy use as key opportunities to reduce emissions.

Johann Kotzé, Agri SA CEO, added, “South African farmers have a long history of adapting to changing climatic conditions. Moreover, we have a strong appreciation of what regenerative and sustainable agriculture means in the context of operating profitability in the South African market. Farmers are also intuitively sensitive to the microclimate in which they operate. Therefore, I am confident that South African farmers will be able to heed the call for greater sustainability and reduced emissions while maintaining food security.”

AgriSA will continue to work alongside various government departments and commodity organizations to promote and accelerate climate adaptation and the need for green finance.