KAMPALA, November 10, 2026 – The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa [AFSA] has called on world leaders attending the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference [COP31] to adopt a fully funded implementation framework for climate action in agriculture, warning that nearly a decade of international negotiations has delivered little practical support to African food producers.
In its position paper on the future of agriculture under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC], AFSA said COP31, which is taking place from November 9-30, in Antalya Antalya, Türkiye, must move beyond workshops, dialogues and reports to deliver concrete financing and technical support to smallholder farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, women and youth affected by climate change.
The organisation said previous international initiatives, including the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture [2017–2022] and the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security [SJWA], had generated substantial discussions but failed to translate accumulated knowledge into accessible support for food producers.
“COP31 must not repeat Koronivia’s failure to turn accumulated knowledge into accessible support for food producers,” AFSA said in its position paper titled, “Actions, Not More Talks”.
The organisation cited figures showing that only 0.8 percent of climate finance reaches small-scale agrifood systems, with funding flows having declined by 44 percent in just two years.
It further noted that food systems receive approximately seven percent of global climate finance, which it said was less than a tenth of the amount required.
AFSA warned that African food producers, despite contributing the least to the climate crisis, continue to bear some of its harshest consequences, including floods, droughts, extreme heat, failed harvests and mounting debt.
The position paper cited Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] findings that climate change had reduced agricultural productivity growth in Africa by 34 percent since 1961.
It also referenced figures from the World Meteorological Organisation indicating that climate-related disasters affected at least 13 million people across Africa in 2025.
AFSA said the forthcoming COP31 discussions should focus on determining who will finance climate action, when the resources will be provided, which institutions will be responsible and how communities will hold them accountable.
Although acknowledging that the SJWA had generated useful findings, including workshops on climate action in agriculture, food systems and food security, AFSA said these achievements had not translated into tangible outcomes.
The organisation noted that a 2026 workshop under the programme identified challenges faced by food producers in accessing climate finance and highlighted opportunities for agroecology and locally led action.
However, it criticised Parties for deferring consideration of key reports to the 65th session of the Subsidiary Bodies [SB65], stating that the existing Sharm el-Sheikh online portal mainly provides information without guaranteeing access to resources.
AFSA is now calling for COP31 to adopt the workshop findings, establish a funded implementation pathway and transform the online portal into a publicly monitored mechanism linking priorities identified by producers to financial and technical support.
The organisation, which brings together more than 40 networks representing approximately 200 million small-scale food producers in 50 African countries, said it would reject any COP31 outcome that merely extends workshops or presents further dialogue as implementation.
It wants the conference to establish a dedicated agriculture and food systems framework supported by a funded action plan, annual targets, clearly assigned institutional responsibilities and public progress reviews at every subsequent climate conference.
AFSA also wants governments to integrate community-led agroecology into their Nationally Determined Contributions [NDCs] and National Adaptation Plans [NAPs], with implementation plans developed in consultation with farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth organisations.
The organisation further urged Parties to recognise agroecology as a viable approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation, citing practices such as farmer-managed seed systems, soil restoration, biodiversity conservation and the development of territorial food systems.
It emphasised that recognising agroecology without providing dedicated budget allocations, accessible grants and producer-led governance would not constitute meaningful implementation.
Among its key demands is the provision of new and additional, predictable, grant-based climate finance for community-led agroecology, including simplified direct-access mechanisms for smallholder farmers and other food producers.
AFSA also called for meaningful participation of farmers’ organisations, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth in designing, implementing and reviewing the proposed programme.
It urged developed countries to fulfil their climate finance obligations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement.
The organisation said the success of COP31 should ultimately be measured by whether financial resources and decision-making powers reach communities and enable the development of resilient, biodiverse and food-sovereign farming systems.
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