The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and CGIAR have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation on transforming global food and agricultural systems, as climate change and biodiversity loss intensify pressure on livelihoods worldwide.
The agreement commits the two organisations to collaborate on nature-positive production landscapes, ecosystem restoration and the transformation of food systems that sustain both people and biodiversity.
An estimated 1 billion people globally depend directly on nature for their livelihoods through farming, fishing and forestry. Food security and rural economies, the organisations said, are closely tied to healthy ecosystems, making the partnership a strategic step toward integrating conservation and agricultural productivity.
Under the MoU, IUCN and CGIAR will scale up work on multifunctional landscapes, land restoration, sustainable farming and livestock systems, climate resilience and water resource management.
The partnership also includes joint policy advocacy, biodiversity-friendly value chains, knowledge generation and support for implementation of the Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification.
“Nature is the foundation of our food systems and of human well-being itself,” said Grethel Aguilar, director general of IUCN. She described the partnership as critical to advancing “nature-positive agriculture – where production works with nature, not against it.”
Ismahane Elouafi, executive managing director of CGIAR, said the agreement underscores the need for cooperation to address “complex and increasingly interlinked global challenges,” adding that combining scientific innovation with conservation expertise would accelerate sustainable agriculture and biodiversity protection.
The partnership builds on complementary strengths. CGIAR, established in 1971, is the world’s largest agricultural innovation network, providing scientific research and tools to improve food, land and water systems.
IUCN brings policy reach, convening power and technical expertise through its global commissions and membership.
At the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress, IUCN members approved a 20-year strategic vision that includes a mandate to support the transformation of food and agricultural systems.
Members also adopted 17 resolutions on the topic, including Resolution 002, which calls for accelerating action toward nature-positive, sustainable agriculture and food systems.
Together, the organisations say, the new agreement aims to bridge science, policy and practice – moving beyond isolated projects toward coordinated, scalable solutions capable of addressing the intertwined crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity.