Accounting for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, food systems must be transformed to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. Governments must rapidly slash emissions from food systems and boost their natural carbon sinks to mitigate climate change. For food systems, this implies a rapid transition away from emission-intensive production and toward agricultural practices and land uses that boost carbon sinks.
Food systems measures are crucial components of countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), contributing to climate mitigation, adaptation, and broader sustainable development. Given this context, the Food Forward NDCs initiative was created to support governments and other stakeholders with increasing the overall agriculture and food systems ambition in the NDC process by highlighting progress of all kinds, promoting best practices, and identifying challenges. In 2025, all Parties to the UNFCCC are meant to submit updated NDCs, or so-called NDCs 3.0.
As part of the broader Food Forward NDCs initiative, this report – Food Forward NDCs: An assessment of NDCs 3.0 for agriculture and food systems transformation – assesses how 58 NDCs 3.0 integrate food systems measures, and how this has changed compared to their previous submissions. The findings of this report demonstrate that – despite more countries recognising food systems as a crucial part of climate action through international pledges – additional measures and implementation of these plans are needed.
