(MENAFN- The Conversation) Agriculture, forestry and other land uses together account for about 62% of Africa's greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, land degradation, deforestation and biodiversity loss are eroding Africa's resilience.

But land – especially agriculture – has been on the margins of climate change initiatives. Even at the annual global climate change conference, land hasn't featured much.

This is changing. In September 2025, Africa's climate community met in Ethiopia, to agree on the continent's climate priorities ahead of this year's global climate conference, COP30. They agreed that land could be Africa's most powerful tool in tackling climate change.

Much will depend on securing finance at COP30 for agroforestry, forest management and soil carbon restoration projects.

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I've been researching land for over 20 years. My research focuses on how to sustainably regenerate land, how community forest enterprises can combat deforestation, and how to rebuild forests as a way of combating climate change.

For this reason, I argue that COP30 must place land restoration and sustainable land management at the heart of the climate agenda. It should recognise that healthy soils, forests and ecosystems are not side issues to climate change. They are the very foundation of economic growth and making the world resilient to climate disasters.

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This is especially critical for Africa, whose people and economies depend so heavily on the land. Agriculture alone, which is intrinsically tied to land, employs over two thirds of Africa's labour force and typically accounts for 30%-40% of gross domestic product. Yet climate change disasters like prolonged droughts, rising temperatures and destructive floods are steadily eroding the land.

Millions of people in Africa could lose their farms, income, food, and future chances if COP30 does not recognise how land, nature, and climate change are all connected.

Why Africa must prioritise land and nature at COP30

Africa's agriculture, the backbone of most economies on the continent, has been badly affected by more frequent droughts, floods and unpredictable rainfall. As a result, African countries sometimes lose an estimated 1%-2% of their gross domestic product in a year.

Over half of Africa's population depends on crops that are fed only by rain. Therefore, extreme weather events hit the majority of Africans directly. At the same time, nearly half of the continent's land area is degraded.

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This affects agricultural productivity and the livelihoods of around 500 million people.

Forest ecosystems such as the Congo Basin, the Guinean forests and Africa's dryland forests are disappearing rapidly. This is already having devastating consequences for communities that rely on them for food, fuel and income.

Africa must negotiate climate finance with one voice

Adapting to climate change remains Africa's most urgent priority. The good news is that African countries are already deploying land based actions (adaptation and using land to sequester carbon and reduce emissions) as a weapon against climate change. They are achieving this by expanding agroforestry, restoring wetlands and managing grasslands more sustainably.

This boosts soil health and increases the carbon stored in the ground. These projects are very useful in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, protecting livelihoods and building resilience.

The September 2025 second Africa Climate Summit made the continental emphasis on land official. Its Addis Ababa declaration placed land and nature-based solutions at the centre of Africa's climate agenda. This was a step forward from Africa's 2023 climate summit declaration, which made only passing references to land.

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What's needed now is for Africa to unite and focus on three key climate change areas:

• climate-smart water management: countries must plan and agree on use of rivers, lakes, and groundwater across river basins. This allows water to be shared fairly, and makes it easier to manage the impact of floods and droughts. It means that plans can be put in place for communities and ecosystems can adapt to changing rainfall and temperatures.

• a transition to a green circular bioeconomy: shifting the economy so that it reuses and recycles things that are currently wasted, like crop waste. This kind of economy creates jobs from biological resources while protecting the environment.

• greater investment in research, technology and knowledge systems to support land-based innovation.

What Africa needs to do at COP30

• Africa must lobby collectively for land-based solutions to be funded enough that big, developmental projects can happen. Currently, only 16% of the US$44 billion in annual climate finance to Africa supports land or nature-related initiatives, despite their central role in the continent's climate landscape.

• Africa's negotiators must push for the Global Goal on Adaptation to become legally binding. (The Global Goal on Adaptation aims to make sure that countries start climate adaptation projects to help protect lives and incomes. Two years ago, COP28 agreed that progress in adapting should be tracked and funding directed towards countries who need it most.) If the goal were legally binding, climate change adaptation would get the same attention as other climate actions.

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• African negotiators should insist on global rules that officially recognise projects using forests, soil, and other land-based methods to reduce carbon. Doing so would allow countries to earn money through carbon markets that reward environmentally friendly practices. According to the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative, if these markets are set up well, they could bring in over US$6 billion a year by 2030, create up to 30 million green jobs, and help repair damaged land.

• The continent's negotiators must push for governments, investors and development partners to invest in African nature-based solutions. Most importantly, local people and small farmers who are directly affected by climate change should be able to access climate finance directly. This would allow them to expand sustainable farming and land-use practices.

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