COP17: RAIZ showcases upgraded mapping tool to turn farmland restoration commitments into investment
Ulaanbaatar, 27 August 2026 — The Resilient Agriculture Investment for net-Zero land degradation (RAIZ) initiative today showcased a new iteration of the RAIZ Mapping Tool that offers countries greater accuracy in identifying and assessing where degraded croplands and pastureland are most at risk to better target restoration investment to where it could deliver the greatest benefits to the country.
The tool is tailor-made to provide countries with more precision in identifying the most vulnerable lands, helping them to make better decisions on where best to invest in land restoration. The tool launched in Brazil provides analysis at a global level.
The new tool, which is built on the vulnerabilities identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and uses Brazil and Mongolia as country case studies, will be further developed with countries and national institutions. It will integrate local environmental, climate and livelihood data with national commitments to help countries to identify priority areas for restoration and investment.
The RAIZ accelerator is a global initiative launched at COP30 to mobilise investment towards restoring degraded cropland and pastureland, with the aim of improving food security and livelihoods, protecting biodiversity and supporting climate stability.
It is hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (MAPA) under the FAO Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership, in collaboration with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) and UNCCD G20 Global Land Initiative, which is providing the technical expertise in mapping.
RAIZ aligns with global commitments under the Conventions on Biological Diversity, Desertification and Climate Change, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr Muralee Thummarukudy, Director, UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative, which leads the development of the mapping tools, said: “When finance, policy and data systems are aligned, countries can overcome the structural barriers to investment in land restoration and drought resilience. This tool provides the means to do so.”
Giulia Maria Galbiati, FAO Natural Resources Officer and FAST Partnership Task Force Coordinator, said: “FAO is pleased to support RAIZ, a flagship programme of the FAST Partnership. It is an example of how the FAST Partnership can strengthen synergies across the Rio Conventions, connecting climate, land, biodiversity and agrifood systems to advance integrated solutions and mobilise finance for action that delivers multiple benefits.”
Eirini Pitsilidi, Head of International Policy, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), said: “The barrier to restoring degraded agricultural farmland has never been ambition. It has been knowing where to start. The RAIZ Mapping Tool changes that. By showing governments, investors and producers where restoration will deliver the greatest returns for people, nature and the economy, it helps move farmland restoration from a cost to be managed to an investment opportunity worth pursuing. FOLU is proud to support in getting this evidence into the hands of decision-makers”
ENDS
About RAIZ
Learn more about RAIZ at the following link: https://www.fao.org/food-agriculture-sustainable-transformation-partnership/flagship-programmes/raiz/call-to-action/en
Explore the mapping tool: RAIZ | Resilient Agriculture Investment for Net Zero Land Degradation
Media Contact, UNCCD:
Wagaki Wischnewski
Communications Officer, UNCCD G20 Global Land Initiative
M: +49 (0)173 268 7593 | +976 9920 7536
Email: wwischnewski@unccd.int
