SmartAg Climate Forum 2025: Advancing Resilience in Global Food Systems

With over two decades in impact investing, responsAbility has learned that meaningful impact goes beyond providing capital—it’s about engagement, shared learning, and building capacity. Through our Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems strategy, we actively support portfolio companies with environmental, social, and gender risk assessments, capacity building, and climate advisory.

To strengthen collaboration across our ecosystem, we launched the first SmartAg Climate Forum, hosted in Zurich by the Technical Assistance Facility of our agriculture and food systems strategy.

Held from September 23 to 26, 2025 the Forum brought together around 40 leaders from 12 international companies committed to advancing climate-smart food systems. Over three days of collaborative workshops, expert sessions, and field visits to agricultural research centres and farms, participants tackled the urgent realities facing global agri-food systems, from extreme weather shocks to shifting socio-cultural dynamics on farms.

Companies attending the forum gained more insights into what technical support is available including climate risk assessments, developing environmental and social risk management systems, gender assessments, and cost-benefit analysis of climate smart agricultural practices.

Tackling Climate Risk

A core theme of the forum was climate risk management across multiple commodities. Participants shared real-world cases—from flood preparedness in the Himalayas and Peru, where runoff channels have prevented crop loss, to the value of cold chain storage that helped protect businesses during recent devastating floods.

Rising climate volatility in key agricultural regions was also a focal point. Coffee-producing countries, for example, have faced extreme weather and record-high prices, creating financing pressures and uncertainty across supply chains. Buyers are beginning to hire in-house scientists to better understand these vulnerabilities, a sign of how climate adaptation is reshaping agribusiness strategies.

Technology Meets Tradition

Innovation featured prominently, from precision sensors using real time field data guiding farm inputs to practical cost-benefit analyses. Yet, discussions emphasized that technological adoption among smallholders hinges on cultural understanding. In some regions, crop storage is perceived as a sign of distress, meaning farmers may reject solutions that conflict with local norms.

Success stories also emerged, such as high-density apple orchards that have become so culturally and economically valuable that they’re now a factor in matchmaking decisions in some communities.

Gender, Equity & Policy

The Forum also highlighted gender-smart practices and environmental and social (E&S) risk management as key to building resilience. Participants discussed how integrating gender equity into climate strategies not only strengthens operations but also creates long-term social value. Sessions explored how to embed E&S policies into company frameworks, making sustainability part of core business strategy rather than an afterthought.

Recognizing Excellence through the Smart Ag 2025 Award

A highlight of the forum was the CSA SmartAg 2025 Award, celebrating leaders who have made significant strides in sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. Their projects demonstrated both impact and innovation, from precision agriculture to policy integration.

The 2025 award winner was Camimex, a Vietnamese shrimp producer and exporter applying silvo-aquaculture - a low-density, organic shrimp farming system integrated with mangrove forests. This system eliminates synthetic inputs, reduces emissions, and supports biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Working with over 2,100 smallholder farmers managing 15,000 hectares, Camimex aligns environmental conservation with inclusive economic development.

The SmartAg Climate Forum 2025 underscored that climate-smart agriculture is not just about technology or finance, it’s about listening to farmers, respecting cultural contexts, and building systems that are adaptable, inclusive, and science-driven. As climate pressures mount, the insights and partnerships forged in Zurich will play a crucial role in shaping the future of global food systems.