Global perspective Human stories

FROM THE FIELD: The UN’s mission to transform agriculture, for people and planet

Women farmers in Guatemala.
UNDP Guatemala/Caroline Trutmann
Women farmers in Guatemala.

FROM THE FIELD: The UN’s mission to transform agriculture, for people and planet

Economic Development

How can agriculture become better able to resist major international shocks such as climate change, and health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic?

A woman pineapple farmer in Zambia.
A woman pineapple farmer in Zambia., by UNDP

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is working with governments and NGOs, to help smallholder farmers to cope with disasters, and transform agriculture to be more resilient, and sustainable.

Agriculture is a significant actor in the climate crisis: some 2.5 billion people work in the sector, which is a primary cause of biodiversity loss, and contributes to around 20 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the UNDP argues that agriculture could provide an answer to climate change. 

Find out more here about the many climate change adaptation projects the agency has been involved with over the last 12 years, and how they are expected to make lasting contributions to sustainable food and agriculture.