G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting Outcome Document and Chair’s Summary Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa

1. The G20 Ministers of Agriculture, convened on 18 September 2025 in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa, under the Chairmanship of the Ministry of Agriculture of South Africa to recognise and reaffirm the critical role that the agricultural, fisheries and aquaculture sectors play in addressing global challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition, noting with concern that hunger affected approximately 673 million people globally and 2.6 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2024.
2. We acknowledge the importance of increased access to finance, capacity-building and voluntary technology transfer on mutually agreed terms to advance responses towards enhancing global food security and nutrition, and progressively realise the right to adequate food in the context of national food security.
3. In addressing some of the major challenges facing global agriculture and food systems, we, the Agriculture Ministers, discussed the following areas: (i) Promotion of policies and investments for inclusive market participation; (ii) Empowering youth and women in agriculture and food systems; (iii) Fostering innovation and technology in agriculture and agro-processing; and (iv) Building climate resilience for sustainable agricultural production.
4. We remain concerned about the episodes of excessive price volatility for food and agricultural commodities, energy and agricultural inputs and the ongoing national and international disruptions in global supply chains. Sustainable, resilient and diverse supply chains underpinned by international, regional and local trade are necessary to stabilise food costs, alleviating food insecurity and malnutrition.
5. Considering challenges of poverty and hunger, systemic economic shocks, global supply chain disruptions, conflicts, and increased frequency and intensity of climate events we emphasise the importance of addressing global food security and nutrition needs.
6. In this regard, we also recall the endorsement of the Deccan High Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition and the launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. Under the theme of South Africa’s Presidency: Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, we pledge to work together to transform agriculture and food systems, as appropriate, for the benefit of present and future generations.
7. We acknowledge the important work of the Food Security Task Force (FSTF), established under the South African G20 Presidency to strengthen coordinated responses aimed at addressing food insecurity and malnutrition.
8. Taking into account each country’s unique circumstances, national priorities and capacities, we recognise the urgent need to protect, restore, conserve and sustainably manage biodiversity, land, and ecosystems, including genetic resources for food and agriculture. We will promote soil health, integrated water management and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as, where applicable, securing tenure rights on land, fisheries and forests.

PART I

9. We acknowledge the diversity of positions of members on areas such as climate change, biodiversity loss, gender equality, deforestation, desertification, drought and extreme weather events.
10. Most members emphasised the relevance of the Paris Agreement, the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other regional and global blueprints and initiatives such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the African Common Position on Food Systems. Accordingly, we support the continued exchange of views and best practices, and encourage context-specific approaches that uphold shared principles while allowing for national flexibility.
11. We further note that issues related to Indigenous Peoples and local communities, youth, smallholders and artisanal producers, are of significant importance to many of the members. We therefore recognise the diverse concerns of members to address these in a coordinated manner, whilst emphasising the importance of policies and actions that are informed by national circumstances and priorities.
12. Most members emphasised that a transparent, fair, predictable, open, non-discriminatory, inclusive, sustainable, equitable and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, is fundamental to foster a well-functioning global market, especially in times of global food security uncertainty and crisis. The upcoming 14th WTO Ministerial conference to be held in Cameroon provides an opportunity to constructively engage on how trade rules can contribute to the global food security and nutrition.
13. Whilst the majority of G20 members agreed with the text proposed by the South African Presidency, some members had challenges agreeing on Priority 4 (Paragraph 34 – 46) under Part III.

PART II

PRIORITY 1: PROMOTION OF POLICIES AND INVESTMENTS FOR INCLUSIVE MARKET PARTICIPATION

14. We recognise that, together with domestic production, agricultural trade makes an essential contribution to improving food security, tackling excessive volatility of food, agricultural commodity and input prices and food inflation, and fostering rural development. Market participation by all farmers is essential to improve food security and nutrition, eradicate poverty, provide livelihoods, foster economic growth, and ensure that no one is left behind.
15. We further recognise that the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) continues to be a major tool to improve food commodity market transparency and promote global policy coordination in the face of market uncertainty. We, therefore, acknowledge that AMIS is a vital instrument for enhancing transparency, improving global food commodity market assessment and outlook, and fostering well-informed policy responses in times of market uncertainty. We reaffirm our commitment to actively support this initiative.
16. We encourage implementing targeted policies, responsible investments from both public and private sources, and other approaches to empower all groups to gain access to finance, machinery, infrastructure, and market opportunities.
17. The world’s Public Development Banks (PDBs) are responsible for 10 to 12 per cent of global financing. However, despite providing two-thirds of formal financing to agriculture, agricultural investments remain underrepresented in many PDB portfolios. We underscore the critical role that PDBs can play in facilitating access to finance to those who do not have access to commercial financial markets.
18. We acknowledge that responsible private investment is key to enhance rural economies through improving infrastructure, logistics, creation of decent jobs, access to innovation, and knowledge sharing. We emphasise the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in driving market participation so that all farmers can earn better incomes. By leveraging the strengths of governments, financial institutions, and private sector actors; and by including social participation in this process, it is possible to develop tailored innovative financing solutions for all farmers, fisher and aqua culturalists. These partnerships can also facilitate the creation of enabling environments that can support access to markets and integration into local, regional and global value chains.
19. We highlight the important work of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other intergovernmental platforms in promoting comprehensive dialogue with all stakeholders on policies, PPPs and best practices that can integrate farmers and fishers into markets. We encourage efforts to share best practices and lessons learned to strengthen global efforts in this area.

PRIORITY 2: EMPOWERING YOUTH AND WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS

20. We acknowledge that youth and women are important stakeholders and drivers of innovation, productivity, generational renewal and sustainability in agriculture and food systems, while recognising the importance of promoting their empowerment. We note the need to better understand and address barriers to participation such as lack of access by youth and women to resources such as land, finance, and technology.
21. To facilitate youth empowerment and attract youth into agricultural activities, we attach great importance to the development of agricultural education, including primary and high schools. In this respect, we note the high role of both public and private sector resources aimed at such policies.
22. We support efforts to enhance women’s full and equal participation and leadership in producer organisations, cooperatives, and rural networks, as means to improve their access to markets, information, and decision-making processes. We encourage the promotion of capacity building programmes that respond to the needs of youth and women, enhancing their access to relevant agricultural, fisheries and aquaculture technologies, practices, and digital services.
23. Additionally, we recognise the importance of sharing successful models and encourage voluntary sharing and scaling up and scaling out initiatives that have demonstrated positive impact in empowering youth and women across agriculture and food systems, in particular, their economic empowerment. In this regard, we look forward to the upcoming International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) in 2026, which recognises the pivotal role of women in agriculture and food security.

PRIORITY 3: FOSTERING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE AND AGRO-PROCESSING

24. We recognise the urgency of strengthening agricultural research, innovation, collaboration, knowledge sharing and partnerships for sustainable and resilient agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and food systems transformation. We further acknowledge the role of farmers and local, traditional and Indigenous knowledge, as appropriate, as key contributors to this process. Research focusing on all forms of innovation, is crucial to enhance productivity, sustainability, and resilience and to reduce food loss and waste while improving affordability and access to healthy diets.
25. Investing in agricultural research and development (R&D) and supporting the commercialisation of agricultural technology is essential for driving innovation, advancing sustainable growth, and addressing environmental and other challenges, in the agricultural and food sectors. We also support targeted policies that facilitate the adoption of innovation and digitalisation in agriculture, promote transformative approaches, and ensure innovation can benefit all with no one left behind.
26. To integrate new scientific knowledge and emerging technologies and practices, we emphasise the importance of science and evidence-based, locally-led, and adapted solutions that ensure the meaningful participation of all farmers and end-users in agricultural innovation.
27. By strengthening R&D, we can develop new technologies and practices and enhance existing ones, and create sustainable, evidence based, and affordable solutions tailored to the needs of the agricultural sector. This can help improve their accessibility and promote the mechanisation and modernisation of small-scale farming and fisheries. We emphasise the importance of free, independent science to support agriculture and food systems, adhering to the highest ethics and integrity standards in challenging existing knowledge and generating new insights.
28. Furthermore, protecting and enforcing intellectual property (IP) systems, play a crucial role in incentivising and scaling innovations, ensuring their widespread adoption and longterm viability towards more resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems. To enable the benefits of innovation to reach the widest base, we also recognise the need to disseminate technology on voluntary and mutually agreed terms whilst upholding intellectual property rights.
29. As the global population and the need to improve the resilience and sustainability of food systems, continues to grow, we encourage the generation of new knowledge and the adoption of advanced technologies and innovative approaches, such as those used for the sustainable production of inputs, precision and smart agriculture, sustainable intensification, advanced breeding, biotechnologies, agroecology and other innovative approaches including regenerative agriculture, digital tools, and responsible AI-enabled systems.
30. We commit to fostering collaboration among G20 members as appropriate, to facilitate the development and voluntary transfer of agricultural technology on mutually agreed terms. International collaboration to drive the transition to sustainable production and efficient use of agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, is critical. We acknowledge the importance of PPPs in driving agriculture and food systems innovation and voluntary technology transfer on mutually agreed terms. We therefore encourage targeted, and where appropriate, increased responsible investments in agricultural R&D and strengthening of policies that foster innovation and bridge the technological gap, including women’s digital access, with G20 members leading by example.
31. We emphasise the use of mechanisms, particularly rural extension services which provide effective linkages between innovation and adoption by all stakeholders. Furthermore, by encouraging farmer participatory research, living labs, and trialling of technology, we can help new innovations and technologies to be adapted to local contexts, and meet the needs of end-users. We welcome the work of G20 initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB) and the G20 High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy.
32. We further underscore the need for capacity building and technical assistance for all farmers, fishers and aquaculturists including those in developing countries to enable them to make full use of digital and technological tools in a sustainable manner. This includes enhancing access to affordable and inclusive digital financial services, particularly for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), by building digital trust, expanding financial inclusion, and offering training through innovative solutions, such as mobile banking, payment platforms and digitalised services.
33. We acknowledge the importance of good animal and plant health for a sustainable and resilient agriculture sector. We recognise that pest and disease outbreaks, which can be spread with ease due to the global nature of food supply chains, are posing a growing danger to global food security. We support strengthening multilateral efforts and international cooperation on biosecurity protocols and action on antimicrobial resistance and the prevention and control of pest and disease outbreaks.

PART III

PRIORITY 4: BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

34. We acknowledge the need to build more resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems owing to the challenges these systems face and noting climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and pollution pose significant risks to agricultural, fisheries and aquaculture productivity, food security, global health and livelihoods, including for people in vulnerable situations, In that regard acknowledge the importance of a One Health approach driven by the Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action.
35. Building resilience to climate change is essential to ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and food systems in the face of uncertainties, increasing occurrences of droughts, floods, other extreme weather events, emerging diseases, and slow onset impacts. We therefore encourage the adoption of innovative, sustainable, and adaptive practices that can improve the role of agriculture in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
36. Furthermore, these practices should be outcomes-driven and tailored to specific locations, commodities, and socio-economic contexts, acknowledging that there is no ‘one-size-fitsall’ approach to agricultural sustainability. We recognise that an approach that benefits both agriculture and biodiversity conservation is necessary to develop a long-term strategy for food security and sustainable, productive and resilient agriculture. In this regard, we reaffirm our steadfast commitments to tackle climate change by strengthening the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.
37. We acknowledge the critical role of seed banks, genebanks and germplasm exchange in supporting climate resilience and seek to strengthen international cooperation in biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional and indigenous knowledges, in accordance with relevant international obligations, paying close attention to intellectual property rights. We reinforce the need to have a science and evidence-based approach and to support the use of nature-based solutions to minimise the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss and build resilience.
38. We acknowledge the combined pressures of climate change and conflict disproportionally affects people in vulnerable situations including youth, women, smallholder and family farmers, artisanal fishers, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, working in agriculture and food systems, especially in fragile settings, highlighting the urgent need to provide support and enable transitional approaches.
39. Recognising the disproportionate impact of climate change challenges for farmers to adopt innovative, sustainable and adaptive practices, we emphasise the importance of easy access to both private and public finance in the agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture sectors, particularly for smallholder producers, micro agribusinesses, family farmers and people in vulnerable situations.
40. We encourage collaborative efforts and partnerships among G20 members, to leverage existing national and international financing mechanisms that bring both public and private sector together, while ensuring the accessibility of such mechanisms to developing countries and supporting their capacity, in the voluntary adoption and scaling up of climatesmart agriculture.
41. We further recognise the urgent need for crop diversification strategies to build resilient food systems. We will strive, where practical, to strengthen responsible investment in traditional and indigenous varieties with great unrealised potential to improve food security and nutrition in the context of climate change. In the spirit of the G20 MAHARISHI Initiative, we will support R&D of climate-resilient indigenous and traditional crops and promote their integration into local and regional food systems, particularly nutrient-rich varieties, ensuring the fair sharing of benefits arising from associated traditional knowledge, when applicable. We support the protection of farmers’ rights to seeds, in line with obligations under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, recognising that over-reliance on single crops can create systemic agricultural vulnerability. We also recognise the need for collaborative efforts to promote the voluntary exchange of climate change-related research, data, and technologies on voluntary and mutually agreed terms among G20 members.
42. Noting the contribution of agricultural expansion to deforestation and ecosystem loss, we agree on the importance of supporting the transition to sustainable agriculture to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation.
43. Sustainable aquatic ecosystems also contribute significantly to coastal and riparian resilience, the recovery of fish stocks and other aquatic resources, as well as the wellbeing of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Therefore, we acknowledge the FAO’s Blue Transformation Roadmap, and commit to actively supporting effective ecosystem-based approaches based on the best available scientific evidence and nature-based solutions for the regional management of fisheries resources and affirm that transparent, adaptive, equitable, sustainable and science-based management of aquatic biodiversity including ending Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is vital for the fisheries sector. We also reaffirm our commitment to the conservation and sustainability of fisheries resources worldwide and the socio-economic welfare of people in vulnerable situations.
44. Under South Africa’s Presidency, guided by the theme of Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability and the philosophy of Ubuntu, we pledge to work together to address the pressing challenges facing agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems and to create a future where food security, nutrition, and sustainable development are realised for all. We therefore acknowledge and support the communique of the fourteenth Meeting of the Agricultural Chief Scientists of the G20 (G20 MACS) Communiqué. The communiqué seeks to advance our understanding and adoption of science and evidence-based, sustainable, and innovative solutions, as well as provide timely and relevant advice to policy and decision-makers to support the sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems. Furthermore, it calls for enhanced sharing of best practices and collaboration for the sustainability and resilience of agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems that are increasingly adaptive to the evolving global landscape. To that end, we call for closer collaboration between the G20 MACS and the G20 Ministers responsible for Agriculture going forward, strengthening the original MACS goals of identifying global research priorities and targets and using MACS to provide AWG with advice on scientific matters.
45. We reaffirm our commitment to advancing the four priority areas outlined in this declaration. By promoting policies and investments that drive inclusive market participation towards improved food security and nutrition, empowering youth and women in agriculture and food systems, fostering innovation and voluntary technology transfer on mutually agreed terms, as well as building climate resilience for sustainable agricultural production, we can transform agriculture and food systems to be more sustainable, inclusive, equitable, nutritious, productive and resilient.
46. We recognise that achieving these goals requires collective action, collaboration, and shared responsibility among G20 members, relevant international organisations and other stakeholders. To ensure meaningful and effective implementation, we heighten the importance of fostering social dialogues and active participation of a wide array of role players across agriculture and food systems, including youth and women.

PART IV

47. We welcome the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Outcome Document and Chair’s Summary as a step toward stronger global food security and sustainable agriculture. We commit to working with partners to promote fair trade, support smallholders, and advance climatesmart, resilient food systems while ensuring Africa’s voice is heard.
48. In closing, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to South Africa for leading the G20 AWG during 2025. As we conclude our discussions in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa, we look forward to the United States of America’s Presidency in 2026.