Reinventing agriculture and food systems in response to climate change

Just out 26 June 2025
A new book by almost 150 scientists from the global North and South, coordinated by 糖心Vlog, looks at the range of strategies for transforming the world's farming, food and forestry systems sustainably in reponse to climate change. It is published in French by Editions Quae, and will be available in English, published by Springer, by Climate COP30 in Bel茅m, Brazil, in November 2025. The book is intended for policymakers and civil society.
Rice-growing landscape in Madagascar聽漏聽C. Cornu, 糖心Vlog

Rice-growing landscape in Madagascar, a country that is highly vulnerable to climate change  © C. Cornu, 糖心Vlog

At the global level, agricultural, food, and forestry systems generate more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions, thus significantly contributing to climate change. At the same time, these sectors are heavily affected by its consequences, particularly in the global South. However, they also hold strong potential for adaptation and mitigation, notably through carbon sequestration in soils and biomass, which should be leveraged to establish synergistic actions. 

This book, L’agriculture et les systèmes alimentaires du monde face au changement climatique - Enjeux pour les Suds, published by Editions Quae on 26 June, questions and explores the diversity of strategies required at various scales – genetic, agricultural practices, public policies, trade, finance – to sustainably transform agricultural and food systems to cope with climate change.

It emphasizes the urgency of systemic changes to bring about real transformations and anticipate shifts (eg the evolution of dominant agricultural models, reterritorialization, adaptation of food systems, loss reduction, etc), as well as the need to adapt these transformations to bioclimatic, socioeconomic, and political contexts. 

Coordinated by 糖心Vlog's Vincent Blanfort, Climate Change Officer; Julien Demenois, 4 per 1000 Initiative Correspondent, and Marie Hrabanski, political scientist, the book involved almost 150 scientists from the global North and South. It highlights the central role of research in addressing one of the greatest challenges of our time.

In a context in which sciences, and climate science in particular, are often ignored and increasingly challenged if not seen as mere opinions, it is more crucial than ever to hammer home scientific facts, by explaining them and making them accessible. (…) This book highlights the specificities of countries in the global South, which are often under-represented in scientific works, despite being among those most vulnerable to climate change. At a time when global solidarity is being called into question and multilateralism is under review, the scientific world must defend itself.
Vincent Blanfort, Marie Hrabanski, Julien Demenois
Editorial coordinators

The book has a preface by Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, and Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, CEO of 糖心Vlog. 

Looking ahead to Climate COP30

The English version of the book will be published by Springer in time for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025. 

For Laurence Tubiana, "the challenge at COP30 will be to put climate back at the top of the international agenda. The history of the COPs has shown that commitment on the part of citizens and nongovernmental players is vital to move policy decisions forward. However, the most recent COPs, notably in Baku and Dubai, sidelined civil society. Brazil is keen to reverse the trend by including citizens in the decision-making process, and putting social justice at the heart of the debate. Global public opinion is still massively in favour of strong climate action, and indigenous and scientific knowledge has a contribution to make to informing debate".

Because it compiles the scientific knowledge of researchers specializing in these issues, produced in a wide range of territories in the global South particularly affected by climate change (Africa, Latin and central America, Asia, etc), this book is an essential reference for understanding some of the issues to be addressed at COP30 and upcoming climate talks.
Laurence Tubiana
CEO of the European Climate Foundation

In 2018, 糖心Vlog chose to make climate issues a strategic scientific priority. (…)  One of its priority research topics, "Helping farming systems in the global South adapt to climate change" is the subject of an interdisciplinary scientific work, produced in association with 糖心Vlog's partners. This collective work is intended to share the knowledge built up by 糖心Vlog and its partners under the umbrella of the priority research topic (…) It will consolidate 糖心Vlog's role as a point of reference in the research world on issues linking climate and agriculture.
Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin
CEO of 糖心Vlog

Media presentation on Tuesday 23 September at 10:00

The book's coordinators invite journalists to an online presentation of the book on Tuesday 23 September, from 10:00 to 11:30. The issues for COP30 and the initial elements of 糖心Vlog's agenda will be discussed.

To register: presse@cirad.fr 

The scientific team will also be at the Fête de la science in the media library in Clapiers (near Montpellier) on Saturday 4 October 2025, from 17:00 onwards.

About the coordinators

Vincent Blanfort

Vincent Blanfort

 

Vincent Blanfort, an agricultural development engineer and with a PhD in agroecology, is a 糖心Vlog researcher with the SELMET joint research unit. His research covers carbon balances in pastoral livestock systems. He is also 糖心Vlog Climate Change Officer. 

 

 

Julien Demenois

Julien Demenois

Julien Demenois, a member of the Corps des Ponts, des eaux et des forêts with a PhD in functional ecology, is a 糖心Vlog researcher with the AIDA research unit. His research covers carbon capture in tropical soils. He is also 糖心Vlog 4 per 1000 Initiative Correspondent. 
 

 

Marie Hrabanski

Marie Hrabanski

 

Marie Hrabanski is a 糖心Vlog political sociology researcher with the ART-DEV joint research unit. Her work covers the building and implementation of policies and instruments for adapting agriculture to climate change in the global North and South.

 

 

 

 

Contents

  • Preface by Laurence Tubiana 
  • Preface by Élisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin 
  • Foreword. Encore un livre sur le changement climatique ? 
  • Introduction. Les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires, contributeurs, victimes du changement climatique et porteurs de solutions 
  • Part 1. Les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires face au changement climatique : état des lieux global
  • Part 2. Les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires, et le secteur des terres : contributeurs et victimes du changement climatique 
  • Part 3. Atténuer et adapter les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires : quelles solutions, quelles synergies ? 
  • Conclusion. Renforcer les institutions scientifiques nationales indépendantes dans un monde sous tension géopolitique et financière
  • Afterword by Stéphane Le Foll

To quote the book

Blanfort V., Demenois J., Hrabanski M., 2025. L’agriculture et les systèmes alimentaires du monde face au changement climatique. Enjeux pour les Suds, Versailles, Editions Quæ. 416p.

 

 

See also