Just Rural Transition Vision and Principles

Feeding a growing population by 2030, while protecting natural systems which sustain life, as rural and indigenous communities, food production and key ecosystems come under growing stresses from climate change.

We have under a decade to change the way we produce food and use natural resources if we are to feed a growing global population by 2030 while avoiding catastrophic degradation of the environment.

A new approach can turn this challenge into an opportunity by placing food, land use, and natural ecosystems at the centre of efforts to realise the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

VISION

By 2030, based on our respective capabilities and circumstances, we commit to doing our part to transform how we produce and consume food, steward our land, and use our natural resources.

We will do this in a way which enhances resilient livelihoods and creates jobs in the rural economy; encourages sustainable food production; promotes good stewardship of land, forests, oceans, and the protection and restoration of critical ecosystems; and rewards people for the actions they take to protect the environment.

We will put in place policies, regulations, plans, and incentives, which:

1. Support farming, fishing, livestock-keeping, and indigenous communities to adapt; and realise the potential of good stewardship of land, oceans, and natural resources to build resilience and mitigate climate change;
2. Provide sustainable, healthy and affordable food for all people, through culturally-appropriate food systems;
3. Halve global food loss and waste from 2019 levels;
4. Recognise the full value of natural capital to human health and wellbeing;
5. Halt the degradation of critical ecosystems and loss of biodiversity;
6. Deliver up to a third of the required reduction in global carbon emissions;
7. Mobilise significant public and private finance in support of our vision.

This will support the Call for Action: Raising Ambition on Climate Adaptation and Resilience and Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Manifesto, set out at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit.

PRINCIPLES

Governments, international organisations, companies, investors, civil society organisations, and local and indigenous communities must deepen collaboration to realise this vision by:

Developing aspirational, long-term targets and pathways to align food production, national dietary guidelines, agriculture and land use, forests and water with sustainable development and climate goals. These should cover domestically produced sustainable and healthy food, as well as the impact of imports, foreign aid, and investments.

Strengthening land use planning and governance to manage competition and trade-offs across different land uses, support indigenous and community land tenure, and deliver national economic, social, rights, health, and environmental goals which enhance long-term resilience of economies, communities, and ecosystems.

Implementing policy, fiscal, and regulatory reform to enable and accelerate the transition to resilient and sustainable food and land use. This includes fully valuing and pricing natural capital, repurposing agricultural subsidies, and social assistance to guarantee access to affordable and nutritious food for lower income groups.

Prioritising greater investment in insurance, innovation, and agricultural research and development to help local and indigenous communities and vulnerable populations build resilience. Capital and knowledge, including indigenous people’s traditional knowledge, must be mobilised in support of this goal.

Embedding a strong focus on job creation, equity, and social justice within the transition to sustainable food systems, just land use, and the provision of sustainable and healthy diets.

To get involved, please submit an application here.