Podcast Summary: This Week in Global Development

Episode: Special episode: Innovation in Action - Scaling Climate Solutions from the Ground Up
Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Kate Warren (Devex)
Guest: Lori Goodwin (Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, CropLife International)
Location: COP30, Belem

Overview

This special episode, broadcast from COP30 in Belem, delves into how innovation and open trade can scale climate solutions from the ground up, especially in agriculture. Host Kate Warren is joined by Lori Goodwin of CropLife International to discuss the growing prominence of agriculture in climate negotiations, the role of technology and partnerships, and practical ways to get innovations into the hands of farmers—particularly smallholders. The conversation blends expert insights with real-world examples and highlights the essential role of farmers in both shaping and implementing climate solutions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

COP30: Framing Agriculture as Both Problem and Solution

• COP30’s Identity—The “Action COP”:
  • Lori notes the shift at COP30, describing it as:

    "The implementation cop, the action cop." (01:04)

  • Agriculture's prominence is rising, with its own dedicated “Agri Zone.”

    “Having a whole dedicated facility to just talking about agriculture... it's really elevated if we go back four or five years.” (01:33)

• Evolving Perception:
  • Agriculture is being framed not just as an emissions source but as a major player in adaptation and mitigation.

    “Agriculture... as a solution and not just as an emitter.” (01:30)

Scaling Innovation: Accessibility for Smallholder Farmers

• Farmers as Central Decision-Makers:
  • Insights from a COP30 side event emphasized that:

    “Farmers are the ultimate deciders.” (03:19)

  • Farmers need: new solutions, tools, and scalable access to innovations seen globally.
• Barriers:
  • Lori highlights the regulatory and market access challenges:

    “There needs to be a predictable regulatory system so you can get some of these innovations from the lab into the field... They need to know that they'll still have access to markets.” (04:33)

  • Rules-based trade is critical to supporting global access.

Exciting Innovations: Focus on Genome Editing

• Genome Editing’s Promise:
  • Lori’s background in plant breeding and biotech places her focus on genome editing:

    “Genome editing is a way to improve plant breeding... more accessible to a broader range of crops, plant breeders, institutions.” (05:21)

  • Applications already visible, especially in Africa for adaptation to both drought and flooding.
  • Caution: Need for predictable risk assessments and regulatory harmonization to prevent inadvertent trade barriers.

Overcoming Policy and Scaling Barriers

• Fragmented Negotiation Processes:
  • Lori notes a gap in synergy:

    “One of the challenges... is that these things tend to be negotiated independently. ...the more governments can work within themselves to connect these pieces... that's where you're going to start to see a lot of these really synergistic effects and more holistic policies.” (07:29-08:11)

  • Cross-sectoral coordination at UNFCCC between biodiversity, land degradation, and climate is key for impactful policy.

CropLife International’s Practical Guide to Sustainable Agriculture Growth

• Purpose of the Guide:
  • Developed to provide tangible case studies and frameworks for policymakers and practitioners.
  • Uses the SDG 2.4.1 framework (11 indicators, e.g., soil health, water) to catalog success stories.

    “Here is an example in a country that is on the ground, it's working. What are the lessons... how can this be scaled?” (08:50)

• Knowledge Exchange:
  • Farmer-to-farmer learning is vital:

    “The best way to scale is to have, not farmer to farmer, knowledge exchange.” (09:24)

• Guide Access:
  • Available online, produced in partnership with NTT Data.

    “Absolutely available online and I'm happy to leave a paper copy with you... I can share the QR code if you want.” (10:15)

Technology and Indigenous Knowledge: A Balanced Approach

• Local Context Matters:
  • Lori stresses tailoring solutions:

    “Everything needs to be tailored to local context and you need local solutions often to these big challenges.” (11:18)

• Partnerships with Indigenous Communities:
  • Co-creation and mutual learning between modern technology and indigenous practices are essential.

    “I don't think that needs to be mutually exclusive with a lot of the indigenous practices. ...people having unique partnerships and collaborations to say, let's learn from each other.” (11:42)

Partnerships as a Lever for Change

• Example: Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework
  • A program across nine countries, focusing on access, policy, training, and responsible stewardship.

    “…holistically what are policy approaches, what are training approaches, what are knowledge exchange approaches between partners that can facilitate access to new technologies... also make sure that the technologies that are already there are being stewarded responsibly.” (12:46)

• Multi-actor Engagement:
  • Effective solutions require cross-sector partnerships, with farmers at the center.

    “Farmers ... saying you need to keep us at the center and co create solutions with us.” (10:23)

Looking Beyond COP30

• Maintaining Momentum on Food Systems:
  • The need for continued integration of food and agriculture in the climate agenda post-COP30.

    “Everything meets together, cross cutting challenges like water, like soil, they all meet at the field and often at the farmer field.” (14:00)

• Synergies Across Global Conventions:
  • Aligning the outcomes of COP30 with other global convenings (e.g., Rio Conventions, Biodiversity Conventions).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Farmer Agency:
  • “Farmers are the ultimate deciders.” (03:19) — Lori Goodwin
• On the Need for Regulatory Clarity:
  • “There needs to be a predictable regulatory system so you can get some of these innovations from the lab into the field.” (04:33) — Lori Goodwin
• On Technology & Context:
  • “Everything needs to be tailored to local context and you need local solutions often to these big challenges.” (11:18) — Lori Goodwin
• On Knowledge Exchange:
  • “The best way to scale is to have, not farmer to farmer, knowledge exchange.” (09:24) — Lori Goodwin
• On Partnerships:
  • “Having the people in the room that are going to be the implementers at the beginning of the conversations is just a really important part and so I'm happy they're here.” (15:35) — Lori Goodwin

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction: context from Belem at COP30 | | 01:28 | Agriculture’s rising profile at COP | | 02:54 | Scaling innovation: access and the farmer’s role | | 05:18 | Example – Genome editing and technological promise | | 07:15 | Barriers: Policy, regulation, and trade | | 08:41 | CropLife’s practical guide for sustainable agriculture | | 10:38 | Technology, context, and indigenous practices | | 12:42 | Role of partnerships and example of the pesticide framework| | 13:55 | Future outlook and maintaining food-agenda momentum | | 15:09 | Realities from the farmer perspective | | 15:42 | Closing remarks and gratitude |

Tone and Style

Conversation is professional yet collegial, with an emphasis on collaboration and practical impact. Lori Goodwin’s responses mix technical expertise with real-world passion for empowering farmers and local decision-makers.

This summary is designed to provide an engaging and comprehensive overview for listeners and readers seeking actionable insights from the episode.