Brussels, 19 November 2024: CropLife International has today expressed wholehearted support for the G20 Leaders’ Declaration issued as the Rio de Janeiro Summit concluded, welcoming the central role of agricultural productivity and food system transformation in the commitments made by the world’s leading economic nations.

The Declaration, which follows intensive dialogue around international economic cooperation to address major global challenges, brings to the fore those core components which must underpin resilient, fair and innovative approaches to agriculture as a pathway to sustainable production. These include:

• The centrality of agricultural productivity

The Declaration places agriculture at the forefront of addressing key challenges such as fighting poverty, ending hunger, and improving nutrition, while confronting climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and desertification.

• Enshrining rules-based trade with the WTO as the central pillar

It recognizes the interdependence of countries in achieving food security and nutrition, food safety and sustainability through open trade policies consistent with WTO rules.

• A no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach

Also recognizing there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges of agriculture and food systems, committing to support developing countries to enhance their capacity for sustainable food production and marketing.

• The pursuit of eco-systems services

The Declaration encourages mechanisms that seek to mobilize new and diverse sources of funding to pay for the direct and indirect contributions that eco-systems provide for humanity’s well-being.

Livio Tedeschi, CropLife International Chairman of the Board and President of BASF Agricultural Solutions, said: “In publicly renewing their commitment to food system transformation, the Leaders of the G20 Nations have brought to a determined and explicit conclusion the many months of dialogue which preceded this moment. The B20 Sustainable Food Systems & Agriculture Task Force has been privileged to play a part in this process, and as Co-Chair, I applaud the resulting Declaration for reflecting unflinchingly the centrality of agriculture in building resilience into our food security whilst safeguarding our environment. This represents a step-change in both approach and ambition, and one which – if followed through – will turn us towards innovative, collective solutions.”

Emily Rees, President and CEO of CropLife International said: “Describing as it does the dynamic interplay of global agriculture and food trade, the G20 Leaders’ Declaration embraces the horizontal approach which will be our imperative in tackling the most pressing challenges facing humanity – how to sustainably feed more people whilst mitigating the effects upon a warming planet.  We can no longer afford to look at our issues in silos. This Declaration is the most persuasive signal we could wish for in indicating a determination to seek holistic solutions. We now look to these nations to lead the way in implementation.”