Australia has endorsed a major pledge at the COP28 summit, joining 133 countries to recognise the impact of climate change on food systems around the globe and the importance of supporting agriculture to adapt.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
70 per cent of the world's food production is now represented in countries who signed the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action at the United Nations conference in the United Arab Emirates this week.
Major agricultural economies such as the United States, China and Brazil also endorsed the declaration.
The commitment will see Australia work domestically and internationally to improve resilience in the sector and develop a path towards low-emissions agriculture.
It also recognises the impacts on food security, hunger and malnutrition, the role of women, children, and Indigenous people, as well as the importance of agriculture to livelihoods and local economies.
"Recognizing the profound potential of agriculture and food systems to drive powerful and innovative responses to climate change and to unlock shared prosperity for all," the document read.
"We stress that any path to fully achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement must include agriculture and food systems."
The signatory countries have committed to integrating climate action and sustainable agriculture into their policy agendas by 2025, but will collectively review their progress at next year's COP29 summit.
Water management, methane emissions and consumption habits are likely to become key issues as the discussion evolves, although the declaration does not mention fossil fuel use outright.
The National Farmers' Federation will attend the summit next week, where representatives are expected to discuss the declaration with policymakers from Australia and abroad.
NFF president David Jochinke welcomed the pledge and said it was pleasing to see farmers put at the heart of the discussion.
"The NFF recognises the fundamental challenge that adaptation and emissions reduction represent to our industry," Mr Jochinke said.
"It's critical that climate adaptation doesn't compromise our ability to produce food and fibre, or result in reduced productivity, by limiting herd numbers for example.
"Farmers are continually seeking improvements and innovation based on risk, science and evidence, and policies that support the innovation and uptake of new technologies that reduce emissions should be encouraged."
