As representatives from over 150 countries gathered in Rome for the resumed session of the 16th UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16.2), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) urred bold action to transform agrifood systems in support of global biodiversity goals.
Ahead of the conference, FAO hosted a high-level meeting at its headquarters, underscoring the need for agrifood systems to align with biodiversity for a sustainable future, according to a press release.
Building on momentum from COP16 in Cali, Colombia, last October, FAO, the Colombian government, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat launched the Agri-NBSAPs Support Initiative. This effort helps governments integrate agrifood systems into their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans(NBSAPs) and implementation efforts.
“The initiative provides us with a collective mechanism to help governments build capacity, identify and implement strategic levers across agrifood sectors to achieve their national biodiversity targets,” explained FAO Director-General QU Dongyu while opening the event.
FAO Director-General Qu was joined by Colombian officials María Susana Muhamad González, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development and COP16 President, and Martha Carvajalino, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker and ministers from several countries. Together, they reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), with agrifood systems at the core.
COP16 President Muhamad acknowledged FAO’s key role in integrating food security and agriculture into the Global Biodiversity Framework. She welcomed the partnership between FAO, Colombia, and the CBD in the Agri-NBSAPs Support Initiative, calling it a vital joint effort she hopes will come to fruition.
Minister Carvajalino emphasized the need for global collaboration to align agriculture and environmental strategies. She underscored Colombia’s commitment to tackling shared challenges and advancing sustainable food production as a key solution to ending hunger, with FAO’s support.
CBD Executive Secretary Schomaker highlighted biodiversity’s fundamental role in food security and nutrition. She stressed that transforming agrifood systems is essential for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, calling for an integrated approach that engages farmers in national strategies—critical for peace and climate stability.
Biodiversity underpins food production by providing essential ecosystem services such as pollination, soil fertility, pest control, and climate regulation. However, ecosystem degradation threatens food security, with an estimated 3 billion lives at risk, especially among vulnerable populations. The loss of pollinators alone could have devastating consequences, as up to 75% of the world’s food crops rely on pollination.
The FAO Director-General emphasized the importance of implementing the KMGBF, adopted at COP15, to address these challenges.
“Over half of the Framework’s 23 targets are directly related to agriculture,” he noted, underscoring the need for countries to integrate agrifood systems into their NBSAPs. He explained that “biodiversity is also in the soil and in the water” and that it is critical “to look at biodiversity from a holistic, three-dimensional perspective”.
He warned that financial investment remains a crucial factor in achieving biodiversity goals, and integrating agrifood systems into national biodiversity strategies and action plans can unlock funding opportunities through international mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and national budgets.
“It is critical to get the farmers on board, for them to take ownership and be part of the partnership. Without the farmers, it is only political policy without implementation,” he added.
Cali Biodiversity Talks Continue in Rome
With unresolved negotiations from Cali back on the agenda, COP16.2 in Rome represented a pivotal moment for global biodiversity efforts. Key discussions last week focused on finalizing financial mechanisms to mobilize the estimated $200 billion annually needed to implement the KMGBF, alongside refining monitoring frameworks to track progress.
FAO continues to play a vital role in helping countries integrate biodiversity into agrifood systems — and agrifood systems into biodiversity strategies—ensuring policies deliver both environmental and food security benefits. As negotiations unfold, FAO remains committed to turning ambition into action, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and securing critical resources to protect biodiversity while ensuring a sustainable food future.
“We need an integrated approach across government sectors, across Ministries, to ensure the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life — leaving no one behind,” the Director-General concluded, underlining that this was “the common philosophy needed to produce staple, nutritious, healthy and functional foods — the four levels of foods.”
