TechnoServe Agri-Food Senior Director: COP30 Underscores Importance of Systems Approach

The leader called for collaboration and private-sector engagement to create agri-food systems that are fair, sustainable, and healthy

ARLINGTON, VA (November 24, 2025) – TechnoServe Agri-Food Systems Transformation Senior Director Dominic Schofield made the following statement at the conclusion of the COP30 Climate Conference:

“COP30 has shown that food systems are no longer a side issue in climate negotiations: they are central to the solution. TechnoServe welcomes this strong focus on food systems—an essential arena for climate progress—and the agreement to triple financing for climate adaptation. It is vital that these resources reach smallholder farmers who are on the frontlines of climate change. These investments must also help raise farmers’ incomes by connecting them to profitable markets, giving them the financial resilience needed to protect their environment.

“We know that surpassing the 1.5°C threshold will disproportionately affect smallholders, base-of-the-pyramid consumers, and others with limited opportunities to adapt to the challenge of climate change. To limit additional impacts on communities around the globe, adaptation, mitigation, and livelihood improvement must be pursued as an integrated effort.

“COP30 has also underscored the importance of a systems approach to meet this need. Fair, sustainable, and healthy agri-food systems require thriving markets that underpin sustained change and impact. Now is the time for collaborative efforts to strengthen the linkages between farmers and farmer-allied intermediaries that move information, shape incentives, and support behavioral change. 

“At TechnoServe, we have seen the power and potential of partnership. In Mexico, it is helping strawberry farmers increase their incomes by 30% while cutting their carbon footprint in half, reducing water usage, and restoring their soil health. In Kenya, it is harnessing digital technology to reduce food loss and improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables for base-of-the-pyramid consumers. In Nigeria and Kenya, it is generating demand for adapted crops that boost rural livelihoods and create more resilient food systems. And across the globe, it is quantifying the investment case for regenerative coffee production that increases yields and incomes while reducing emissions and protecting nature. 

“These efforts demonstrate what is possible through collaboration. The COP negotiations in Belém may have concluded, but the effort to make agri-food systems fair, sustainable, and healthy is one we must all carry forward everyday.”

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About TechnoServe

Founded in 1968, TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty for good. A non-profit organization working in around 35 countries, we work with people to build a better future through regenerative farms, businesses, and markets that increase incomes. Our vision is a sustainable world where all people in low-income communities have the opportunity to prosper.

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