Braving a crippling drought in Ethiopia's Somali region.
© FAO/IFAD/WFP/Michael Tewelde

Leave no one behind

The central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

On the frontlines of the climate crisis, family farmers, herders, fishers and fish farmers, forest dwellers, food workers and their families provide 70–80 percent of the world’s food.

They play a fundamental role in biodiversity preservation and climate action, but now face much faster and more severe shifts in weather and climate patterns. These are already undermining years of development gains and have the potential to damage and permanently alter the environments in which they live and work.

Any new policies to combat climate change must be made to last but be flexible enough to adapt to a changing situation. Participatory approaches based on group learning and local knowledge systems such as farmer field schools are one of FAO’s main entry points to develop activities that enhance food security and nutrition, and to support climate adaptation and mitigation.

In this endeavour, FAO pays particular attention to removing discriminatory barriers faced by women, youth, older people, Indigenous Peoples and people with disabilities.

Achieving gender equality

Women play a vital role in every sphere of agricultural activity. They have traditionally been the primary stewards of agrobiodiversity, including the management and conservation of crop and animal genetic resources, medicinal plants and other wild foods.

But women carry a heavy work burden, having to juggle between their productive activities and domestic chores. They also tend to have poorer access to land, services and resources than men, which makes it harder for them to adopt climate-resilient practices. FAO has calculated that achieving equality for women in agrifood systems would add as much as USD 1 trillion to global GDP and take 45 million people out of food insecurity.

FAO promotes gender-sensitive policies and programmes that support women's leadership, and advocates for women’s participation in the management of natural resources and decision-making processes.

Protecting and promoting the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples are intrinsically connected to land and nature. They are custodians of 80 percent of the world's remaining biodiversity. They have developed complex knowledge systems around food and natural resource management that have demonstrated their adaptability and resilience.

Indigenous youth are often in a position to preserve these ancestral knowledge systems while harnessing the potential of new practices and technology; and to promote the resilience and continuity of their Peoples. Collaboration between Indigenous Peoples, governments and other stakeholders holds the key to addressing the climate crisis and must be based on respect for Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights.

Required citation:
FAO. 2023. Agrifood solutions to climate change – FAO's work to tackle the climate crisis. Rome https://doi.org/10.4060/cc8055en

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