27 countries including India signed a sustainable agriculture action agenda at the end of the first week of the COP 26 meetings in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The countries laid out new commitments to make farming more sustainable and less polluting.

The ‘Sustainable Agriculture Policy Action Agenda for the Transition to Sustainable Agriculture and Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture' was among the highlight action pledges to be clinched by the participating countries at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Others besides India to sign up to the action plan include Australia, Uganda, Madagascar, Tanzania, Vietnam, Nigeria, Lesotho, Laos, Indonesia, Guinea, Ghana, Germany, Philippines, Ethiopia, UK, Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Switzerland, and the UAE.

The countries laid out new commitments to change their agricultural policies to become more sustainable and less polluting, and to invest in the science needed for sustainable agriculture and for protecting food supplies against climate change.

The announcement follows Ocean Action Day on Friday of over 10 new countries signing up to the "30by30" target to protect 30 per cent of the world's ocean by 2030.

These include India, Bahrain, Jamaica, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar, Samoa, Tonga, Gambia and Georgia, with the target now supported by over 100 countries.

Among other developments from week one of the COP26 climate summit, the World Bank will commit to spending USD 25 billion in climate finance annually to 2025 through its Climate Action Plan, including a focus on agriculture and food systems.