Brazil unveiled a sweeping international initiative on Monday to restore degraded agricultural lands and strengthen food security, positioning itself as a global leader in sustainable farming.

The Resilient Agriculture Investment for Net Zero Land Degradation, or RAIZ, was launched by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The effort is supported by the Ministries of Agrarian Development and Fisheries, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Mobilizing Resources for a Global Challenge

RAIZ aims to mobilize capital, technologies, and partnerships to reverse land degradation and boost productivity. The program responds to a worsening global crisis.

According to the UN, nearly 2 billion hectares of land are degraded, directly affecting the livelihoods of 3.2 billion people.

Globally, around 25 percent of land faces degradation caused by human activity, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported. Agriculture, forestry, and land use account for roughly 23 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“The state of land degradation is alarming, but restoration offers a win-win solution for people, climate, and nature,” said the FAO in a statement.

Brazil Leads by Example

Brazil, host of COP30, plans to restore 40 million hectares of degraded land through its Green Way Program. It has also created the Eco-Invest blended fund to attract private capital and multilateral financing. The fund supports restoration projects that align with global biodiversity and climate goals.

RAIZ builds on such national successes, scaling them through international cooperation. It brings together existing initiatives under the UN climate, biodiversity and desertification conventions to deliver measurable results on land recovery.

The program will spotlight proven approaches such as regenerative agriculture, reforestation, and community-led soil restoration, while promoting innovation and local knowledge systems.

A Platform for Global Collaboration

MAPA and FAO will coordinate RAIZ under the COP30 Action Agenda’s Activation Group on land restoration and sustainable agriculture. The group will serve as a platform for countries, investors, and civil society to identify investable projects and scale financing solutions.

The initiative also aligns with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for restoring at least 30 percent of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

According to FAO data, restoring 250 million hectares of farmland by mid-century could cut up to 20 gigatonnes of emissions and increase food production by as much as 15 billion tonnes.

Closing the Global Funding Gap

Despite rising political will, financing remains a major hurdle. Restoring farmland worldwide will cost about $300 billion annually, but only $65 billion is currently invested, FAO estimates.

Experts say that if the agrifood sector invested just 1 percent of its annual revenues, around $90 billion, it could transform degraded landscapes at scale.

RAIZ seeks to bridge that funding gap through blended finance, combining public, private, and philanthropic capital. The approach echoes global calls under the “Baku-Belém Roadmap” to mobilize $1.3 trillion for climate and biodiversity goals.

Building a Resilient Future

Brazilian officials said the RAIZ platform will catalyze coordinated global action. “The world cannot secure food without restoring land,” said Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro. “RAIZ is our call for a global mutirão, a collective effort to heal the planet’s soils.”

As COP30 progresses, Brazil’s initiative signals a growing consensus that restoring farmland is not only critical for food systems but also essential for achieving climate neutrality and safeguarding biodiversity.

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FAO Report Warns of Slow Progress on Food and Agriculture SDG Goals

 

 

Nirmal Menon

Nirmal Menon is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering business and technology for mainstream publications in India and abroad. In his previous role, he served as business desk editor at Arab News. He is currently the editor of ESG Times. He can be reached at nirmal.menon@esgtimes.in.