COP30: RESSAC Places Agroecology at the Heart of Climate and Environmental Issues and Advocates for the Transformation of Agri-Food and Forestry Systems Towards Greater Sustainability and Social Justice

COP30 was held from November 10 to 21, 2025, in Belém, northern Brazil. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the international community finds itself at a pivotal moment to successfully uphold its commitments. This COP, taking place in the heart of the Amazon, is an opportunity to focus the debate on the role of forests and their users (farmers, ranchers, etc.). For RESSAC, the transformation of agri-food and forestry systems towards greater sustainability and social justice must be a central focus and taken into account during negotiations. 

Mr. Trésor Badisungu, National Coordinator of RESSAC (Network for Food Security and Sovereignty in the Democratic Republic of Congo), effectively represented the platform of Congolese farmers' organizations in the various panels and strategic meetings. His intervention during the panel entitled “Agroecology at the Heart of Climate and Environmental Challenges in the Congo Basin” was a highlight of this high-level discussion. He took the opportunity to reiterate the importance of promoting the consumption of local African products in order to reduce dependence on imports and strengthen food sovereignty in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While agriculture and food systems are major emitters of greenhouse gases, these sectors are also victims of the effects of climate change (droughts, floods, fires, etc.). According to IPCC projections, 8 to 30% of agricultural land will be unsuitable for production by 2100. Tropical forests face the same challenge : they have the capacity to capture carbon, but they are reaching a tipping point where they could emit it. Furthermore, in addition to areas already deforested for agricultural activity, they are now facing illegal activities, the main source of deforestation in recent years. A sustainable transformation of agricultural and forestry systems is urgently needed to address these challenges.

Beyond their major role in adapting to and mitigating climate change, these systems are implicated in other environmental issues. They are also crucial for ensuring food security, protecting health, reducing poverty, and supporting the rural economy in the vast majority of countries worldwide. This is why decisions concerning agricultural and food systems are particularly complex, as they involve numerous sectors and stakeholders at various levels of intervention. Yet, they remain essential (as argued Mr. Trésor Badisungu, National Coordinator of RESSAC).

The forests of the Congo Basin are threatened by climate change, deforestation and degradation, and the development of monocultures. To preserve these territories, the people and forests that inhabit them, and the global climate balance that depends on them, it is necessary to understand the ongoing transformations and to (re)think new visions and governance models that take into account local expectations and global dynamics, based on principles of social and ecological justice. 

RESSAC, in collaboration with its institutional partners and local communities, explores agroecological and socioecological transformations and seeks to rethink land use and governance to meet the challenges of a world in transition. Innovative forestry based on planting native species, participatory foresight, and regenerative governance are just some of the avenues to explore. Agricultural and food systems have long been absent from COP negotiations. They are increasingly prominent in discussions, which led to the Sharm El Sheikh Joint Initiative on Climate Action for Agriculture and Food Security, unanimously adopted at COP27 in 2022. This was followed the next year by the Dubai Declaration on Food Systems at COP28. 

RESSAC's participation in COP30 confirms its role as a voice for Congolese farmers and its commitment to promoting agroecology as a pillar of the climate and economic transition. Through its actions, the platform reaffirms its ambition: "I eat African, I value our resources, I build our future."

RESSAC Communications Officer