Forests and food are inseparable. Forests are more than trees - they are life-givers. They store and release the water that nourishes our crops, regulate the climate that sustains our harvests, and protect the ecosystems we all depend on. In Brazil, this truth is deeply felt. The Amazon is not only central to Brazilian culture, cuisine, and identity - it is a vital source of food, resilience, and hope for the entire planet.

Our food system is failing to provide all people in Brazil and around the world with affordable, diverse and nutritious diets, while it degrades ecosystems, and entrenches social and economic inequalities. It is overly dependent on a model that relies on monocultures, deforestation, and chemical pesticides. This threatens our planet and our health. Indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers have proven for decades that it’s possible to grow food in harmony with nature and while protecting forests.

#Forests4Food is a campaign in Brazil and around the world to put food at the heart of COP30, to showcase the possibilities if we do and to call on political leaders in Brazil and in all countries to recognize the urgency and to act.

When the world gathers in the Amazon in November, COP30 is an opportunity to listen to Indigenous people and smallholder farmers from around the world; to bridge food, health, forests and climate; to reinforce the political commitments made in the Leaders’ Declaration in COP28 to embed food systems in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans; and to link this agenda to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty to catalyse a globally unified and inclusive transition.

Compounding the impact of our food systems, unchecked climate change is accelerating deforestation and reversing decades of progress against hunger and malnutrition. 733 million people go to bed hungry and nearly 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Scientists predict this will continue to get worse. Climate change is a growing threat to farmers and traditional communities. We are running out of time to protect our forests and we must act urgently to transform our food systems so that they are sustainable, resilient and nourishing. We must empower smallholder farmers to feed us while protecting and regenerating forests.

Brazil’s COP30 Presidency provides an important opportunity to take action to protect our forests and fix our food systems. Building on Brazil’s leadership during the G20 in 2024, which established the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, COP30 can champion climate and food justice in Brazil and rally the international community to advance inclusive, climate-resilient food systems that balance human well-being, ecological sustainability, and economic equity.

Transforming the way we produce and consume food means shifting away from practices that threaten our forests, biodiversity and climate, and contribute to widespread malnutrition and poor health. Instead shifting towards systems that consider both equitable access to nutritious food and the sustainability of how food is produced.

It is impossible to achieve climate and food justice without recognizing the importance of agriculture, a cornerstone of many economies, that must be at the center of the transformation that is needed.

Agricultural practices must change. Deforestation, overuse of fertilizers and distance from markets contribute to climate change. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, “Since 1990, an estimated 420 million hectares of forests have been lost through deforestation (FAO, 2020). Nearly 90% of tropical deforestation has taken place as a result of agricultural expansion (FAO, 2021).” The agri-food system accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, while we waste almost a third of the food produced globally due to poor infrastructure, storage and limited market access. It is estimated that transformative practices could cut 10–12 billion tonnes of CO₂ per year and generate up to $10 trillion in net economic benefits annually.

Smallholder farmers, Indigenous and rural communities are disproportionately affected by hunger and poverty and are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Hunger is, above all, the result of political choices – decisions that prioritize profit, exports, and land concentration over the human right to food.

Family farming, with its small-scale producers, is responsible for a significant portion of global food production, reaching up to 35% (FAO). In Brazil, this type of production accounts for 70% of the food consumed (IBGE). With adequate investment and support, they can lead the transition to resilient and sustainable food systems. Already, in many creative ways, youth, Indigenous people and farmers are leading the way. Without investment and support, their innovations cannot be scaled up and their challenges will not be addressed. They will be left behind.

Climate finance must reach, invest in and scale up the solutions of those who have historically cared for the land and forests. Political commitment, aligned policies and financing are needed to transform food systems to deliver affordable, healthy and sustainable diets and to support rural communities and Indigenous and smallholder farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to protect and regenerate forests.

Transforming food systems is not only about techniques or productivity. It’s about redistributing power, protecting territories, and ensuring dignity. Without transforming the systems and structures that produce inequality, our efforts to protect our forests and our planet will not achieve the results that we need.

Looking back to move forward - We don’t need to reinvent the world — we need to learn from those who have sustained it, even under constant threat. The future of food and climate depends on listening to those who have cared for the land for centuries.

Without forests, there is no water. Without water, there is no food. And without food, there is no future. Let’s listen, invest, and amplify!