COP31 Food Panel Puts Farmer Voice, Indigenous Knowledge at Center
COP 31 Side Events • United NationsNovember 14, 2026
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Farmers, especially indigenous and young producers, need a real voice and fair access to money if food systems plans are going to work. That was the throughline of a COP31 side-event panel on Nov. 14, 2026. The informational session, "Transforming Food Systems for People and the Planet," took no votes, but its speakers laid out a clear agenda: less talk of new commitments, more talk of who gets financed and who gets heard.
- Indigenous knowledge and farmer voice framed as essential, not optional, to food systems change
- A Welsh farmer challenged the word "transform," asking whether it implies farmers are doing it wrong
- One government action each: panelists named infrastructure, startup tax breaks, equal access and subsidy repurposing
- National food plans exist, but implementation finance lags, a nutrition policy specialist said
- UN fund pitches 5–7 year "patient capital" for the agribusiness "missing middle"
Why it matters: Farmers often lack both financing and a seat at the table. Panelists warned that popular labels like "regenerative" may not recognize practices indigenous farmers have used for generations.
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