Ethiopia Joins Nine-Nation Coalition on Food Systems Transformation

November 14, 2026 | By Semahegn Nigatu

Ethiopia has joined a nine-country alliance seeking to reshape global food production and consumption policies, adding momentum to efforts to place agricultural resilience, land restoration and food security at the centre of next year's COP32 climate summit in Addis Ababa.

The announcement, made on November 11 at the COP31 gathering in Antalya, Türkiye, brings Ethiopia into the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF), alongside Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Italy, Norway, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Viet Nam.

Ethiopia's membership comes as it prepares to assume the COP32 presidency, giving it an additional platform to advance food systems transformation within international climate discussions. The alliance seeks coordinated government action across agriculture, nutrition, environmental protection and climate policy.

The decision also reflects the growing pressure on food systems from extreme weather, droughts, floods, rising food prices and fertiliser supply constraints. These challenges are particularly consequential for countries whose agricultural production and rural livelihoods remain exposed to climate shocks.

Ethiopia has identified climate adaptation, land restoration and climate finance as priorities for its COP32 presidency. Its National Regenerative Agriculture Strategy, launched in May 2026, aims to support 12 million to 15 million smallholder farmers in restoring soil health and strengthening their resilience to climate shocks.

Agriculture Minister Addisu Arega said the country wanted climate finance to be aligned with food systems transformation and reach farmers and pastoralists. He also highlighted the role of combining social protection with land restoration in helping vulnerable households withstand economic and environmental shocks.

The alliance's membership provides Ethiopia with an opportunity to exchange policy experiences with countries pursuing different approaches to agricultural transformation. Sierra Leone, for instance, has more than halved severe food insecurity since 2023, while Rwanda has developed a 335.4 million US dollar climate-smart agriculture investment plan and committed to restoring 600,000 hectares of degraded land and inland waters by 2029.

The financing requirements remain considerable. Developing countries need an estimated 305 billion US dollars annually by 2035 for climate adaptation, according to figures cited in the alliance's announcement. International public finance available for these purposes amounted to between 28 billion and 32 billion US dollars in 2024.

Food systems also account for approximately 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to research by the EAT-Lancet Commission in 2025, making agricultural transformation relevant to both climate adaptation and emissions reduction.

Established at COP28 in Dubai, the ACF operates outside the formal multilateral climate negotiation process but complements it through cooperation among governments. Its members commit to coordinated action across five areas: food security and nutrition, climate adaptation and resilience, equity and livelihoods, nature and biodiversity, and climate mitigation.

Ethiopia's entry builds on its previous engagement in international food and climate initiatives. It co-hosted the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake with Italy in Addis Ababa in July 2025 and hosted the second Africa Climate Summit in September 2025.

Source: FSX Business News