Farmers on the International Stage

By Whitney McFerron

The United Nations recently held its 28th Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As the world’s largest climate change event, COP28 brought together tens of thousands of stakeholders from around the world, including leaders of governments, businesses, international organizations and the nonprofit sector.

Joining in the conversation were several groups of farmers, including two farmer ambassadors from Farm Journal Foundation who attended the event with the nonprofit organization Solutions from the Land. A.G. Kawamura, a fruit and vegetable grower from California, and Brad Doyle, a row crop producer from Arkansas, share their thoughts on this historic event.

A.G. Kawamura | Orange County, Calif. | Owner of Orange County Produce, LLC, and co-chair of Solutions from the Land

I first attended COP in 2009, for COP15 in Copenhagen, and it has been incredible to see how much has changed over the past several years. Back then, agriculture was nowhere on the agenda. All of us who work in agriculture know just how devastating extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and severe storms can be, both for our businesses and for global food supplies. Yet, those early UN conferences didn’t acknowledge agriculture in their deliberations, and few, if any, members from our community were invited to participate. 

Now, 14 years later, a lot has changed, but we still have a long way to go. At COP28, there was an entire day devoted to discussions about food and agriculture. This was heartening, because farmers need innovative solutions to adapt to increasing challenges, and as stewards of the land, we can also play an important role in solving climate change. I was proud to be able to address the UN body myself as part of the Farmers Constituency, helping ensure global leaders pay attention to farmers’ contributions and listen to our perspectives.

For too long, some members of the international community have viewed agriculture as part of the problem when it comes to climate change, instead of part of the solution. This misconception underscores why it’s so important for farmers to speak up at international events like COP and also at state, regional and local venues. Leaders and the general public need to know that farming today is not like it was 40, 30, or even 10 years ago. Whether it’s by sequestering carbon in our soils, producing our own renewable energy or using precision agriculture to grow more food with fewer and fewer inputs, farmers are in many cases leading the fight against climate change. With investments in agricultural research and technology, we will do more in the future.

Speak Up for Agriculture
Following COP15 in Copenhagen, my colleagues and I started Solutions from the Land — a nonprofit organization that puts farmers, ranchers and foresters at the forefront of resolving climate change and other mega global challenges. This movement was long overdue, but we are now making good progress. Organizations such as the Farm Journal Foundation are also helping amplify the voice of agriculture on a global stage.

The reality is that agriculture stands at the center of so many of the issues the international community is trying to solve. The UN has a set of sustainable development goals it hopes humanity can achieve by 2030. None of the goals will be achievable without strong input from agriculture. As I told the UN body in my speech, a reliable food supply is essential for humanity to be able to live on earth. This is why I will continue to speak up for agriculture, at COP events and beyond, because all of our futures depend on it.

Brad Doyle | Weiner, Ark. | Soybean, rice and wheat farmer, and owner of Eagle Seed LLC 
COP is a huge global event, with approximately 80,000 people in attendance, and it’s spread out over a giant venue. There are the main UN meetings that observers can attend, but the event has evolved to be so much more than that. Countries, including the U.S., host side events at their own pavilions, as do many international organizations, non-profits, industry associations and companies. There are thousands of talks, demonstrations and panels to choose from over the course of two weeks, on every subject that touches on climate change, not just food and agriculture. 

In some ways, COP can be overwhelming, but it also provides unique and valuable opportunities to engage with people outside our agricultural community. As farmers, we often attend industry events hosted by our respective commodity groups and agricultural organizations. These are great, but they can sometimes feel like preaching to the choir. Venues like COP can enable agriculture to reach beyond agriculture, putting us in front of new audiences that might be uninformed, indifferent or even hostile. Here is where we can really move the needle. So many activists and global decision-makers don’t know much about where their food comes from – many have never even met a farmer. COP enables us to sit down with people whom we might not otherwise encounter face to face and have civil conversations over cups of coffee as we begin to find common ground.

A Seat at the Table
No matter what you think about climate change, conversations about it are happening on an international scale, and decisions are being made that will impact agriculture. It’s important farmers pay attention and participate, so we can have a voice in the decisions that affect us. I found at COP that most people are willing to listen, as long as we show up. Farmers have important stories to tell and vital contributions to make when it comes to protecting our land and natural resources for future generations. To truly make a difference, we must step out of our comfort zones from time to time so we can inform people about the value of agriculture and everything farmers do to protect global food security, the climate and environment.