Change in the enabling environment: policy and dialogues 

Smallholders and family farmer’s policy engagement through the Forest and Farm Facility

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) is a partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Agricord and IUCN, aiming to strengthen and empower forest and farm producer organizations (FFPOs), including women, youth and indigenous peoples, as primary change agents for climate resilient landscapes and improved livelihoods. Through FFF, IUCN works with regional and global farmers organizations to help them influence international policy. IUCN also supported the creation of the Family Farmers for Climate Action campaign.

The Forest and Farm Facility has published its 2024 Annual Report, showing that directing funds through FFPOs is an effective way to get rapid impact – FFPOs were at the centre of new programmes in 2024 valued at nearly US$110 million. The FFF made its highest disbursement in its history in 2024, at US$16.3 million, almost double the previous highest (US$8.30 million), recorded in 2023. Read the report here.

Forest and Farm Facility | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The World Conservation Congress and Member Engagement

The World Conservation Congress is IUCN‘s highest level decision-making moment and most important channel for member engagement. It takes place every 4 years, the 2025 edition is in Abu Dhabi, UAE from October 9th to 15th. Members take part through the Motion and Resolution Process, harnessing IUCN’s collective expertise and maximising capacity to influence global policy and drive transformative action. 

For more information and to register see here.

In the run-up to each WCC, Regional Conservation Fora (RCF) provide a channel for decision making and recommendations.

Read more about the RCFs here.

IUCN's collaborative efforts across the Union to advance the Food and Agriculture agenda are demonstrated by these Resolutions: 

WCC_2020_RES_003_EN | IUCN 

WCC_2020_RES_007_EN  | IUCN

Engagement in international policy fora

IUCN works towards food and agricultural systems transformation by mainstreaming the topic through a wide range of international policy fora, including the 2024 CBD CoP 16, Climate CoP29, and Desertification and Land CCD CoP16. The FAS Message is transmitted via events, discussions and report launches: see here for an account of activity at the CCD CoP16.

The IUCN Food and Agricultural Systems delegates went to Riyadh to mobilize the agricultural and conservation communities to come together in common ground on land use, landscape governance, and agricultural systems that can align nature restoration, food security and livelihood objectives.

Our events highlighted the vital role of Indigenous People and Local Communities. Smallholder farmers and local communities are presently custodians and stewards of the world’s most intact ecosystems, and they are the most vulnerable to the consequences of land degradation: they should have a central role in decision making and have direct access to finance.

We also emphasized how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in agricultural systems can effectively address food insecurity, ecosystem degradation, and climate adaptation. We stressed the role of soil health and the importance of shifting to regenerative agriculture grounded in agroecology principles. 

Finally, innovative financing mechanisms must be put in place to unlock public and private finance for land restoration and drought resilience. And there is a clear need for repurposing the roughly USD 2 billion a day global agricultural support towards those outcomes.

IUCN Food and Agricultural Systems ½UN CCD COP16

The Common Ground Dialogues

IUCN’s Common Ground Dialogues ‒ based on the foundational Common ground report ‒ convene food and agricultural systems stakeholders in dialogue processes to foster consensus and catalyse collaborative action for a resilient and sustainable future in those systems.

Common ground report | IUCN

Indigenous peoples’ engagement in Regen10

Regen10 was set up in response to the growing interest in regenerative food systems, with the key aim of putting farmers' needs and experiences at the centre of policy and business decisions designed to scale-up practices that can achieve regenerative outcomes.  As part of Regen10, IUCN engages with Indigenous Peoples Organisations across the globe to understand their food systems practices and how to prevent the reversal of the currently regenerative food systems in their landscapes. IUCN also supported Indigenous Peoples Organisations to provide inputs into the Regen10 Outcome Framework for regenerative agriculture.

Biodev2030 ‒ landscape and national level multistakeholder platforms for policy change

Biodev2030 among other interventions in different sectors, promotes changes in agricultural production systems that reconcile biodiversity and economic and social development, addressing agriculture as one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. This includes supporting multi-stakeholder platforms at national and landscape levels, identifying key policy instruments to change or introduce, helping to design nature-positive projects at landscape level and supporting resource mobilisation.