The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is urging global leaders at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) taking place in Cali, Colombia, to direct greater focus and funding to small-scale farmers. Rural producers are on the frontlines of biodiversity loss and climate change and must be able to sustainably grow a variety of crops for local and global consumption and in particular for the over 3 billion people who cannot afford a healthy diet.

This approach is crucial as the world faces a dual challenge: feeding a growing population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 while reversing the degradation of the natural environment.

“Addressing this situation requires transforming agri-food systems to become more sustainable and biodiversity-friendly, and this transformation includes adopting agroecological practices and promoting agrobiodiversity,” said Oliver Page, IFAD’s Climate Change and Environmental Specialist for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, leading the IFAD delegation at COP16.

“IFAD recognises that a degraded environment and the climate crises are interconnected, and we need holistic solutions to tackle both. This is why in 2021 we committed to channelling 30% of our climate finance to support nature-based solutions by 2030,” he added.