COP30 in Brazil left behind a mixture of hope and frustration. On the one hand, there was global attention on tropical forests, ecosystem protection and the role of indigenous peoples – key elements in countering the climate crisis. On the other hand, there was a feeling that a will for profound change was sorely absent. It is positive that forests have been given prominence and that the role of indigenous communities as guardians of the soil and biodiversity has been recognised. Yet the debate on the link between climate change, agriculture, soil and food remains timid, as does the call to strengthen local and community agro-ecological systems.

The COP30 agenda remains focused on energy, fossil fuels and forests – less so on agriculture, food systems and seed sovereignty. In other words, the leap towards the profound transformation required by the climate emergency is still missed. The climate and environmental crisis is deeply rooted in the industrial, extractive model of agriculture based on capital and monocultures. The global food system accounts for about 29% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

It is therefore not simply a matter of releasing less CO2 into the atmosphere, but of rethinking our relationship with the land, seeds, water and communities. Agroecology, biodiversity and the role of farmers are key elements that cannot be excluded from the climate debate.

The critical issues are clear: the absence of binding commitments on the phase-out of fossil fuels also affects agriculture, while many of the proposed solutions remain in the hands of giant corporations, centralised technologies and global markets, rather than strengthening local communities, circular economies and biological diversity. ‘Technological’ or financial fixes—carbon credits, offsets, digitalisation, big tech—don’t get to the root of the problem-the extractive relationship between humans and nature. The real solution does not lie in creating food substitutes or expanding the industrial paradigm, but in promoting initiatives that already work in harmony with the Earth. Yet agriculture and food sovereignty have not been given the space they deserve in the negotiations.

The climate crisis requires immediate responses that can already be found in rural communities. It is not just a matter of adopting better practices, but of recognising that change starts in rural areas, with indigenous peoples, small farmers and local food systems that preserve seeds, biodiversity and their connection to the land. COP30 could have done much more: not just symbolically recognising these communities, but giving them real decision-making power, direct investment and political space. Every farmer, every seed, every community is part of the solution – not just spectators.

If the goal is to save the climate, then we need a paradigm shift that abandons extraction, commodification and the centrality of monocultures in favour of a model that values soil care, biodiversity, communities and food sovereignty. The solutions already exist. We just need to scale them up, support them and give them a central role in the global political process.

We need to give a voice to the territories, strengthen community alliances, promote circular economies and respect for the land. Compensation is not enough; we need regeneration.

Ruchi Shroff, Navdanya International