Life-threatening heat waves, forest fires, hurricanes, droughts and floods mean that climate change must be tackled on a ‘war footing’. With agri-food systems responsible for close to 40% of total greenhouse gas emissions, food and farming need priority attention in government negotiations at COP 28. A rapid and substantial reduction in carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane emissions is urgently needed throughout the entire agri-food system and its global supply chains. There is growing consensus that agroecological approaches offer huge potential – not only to cut emissions, but also to create many more active carbon sinks. This briefing calls on governments to mobilise finance for the large-scale transitions needed towards climate-friendly food and farming. This will involve switching funding and subsidy support from globalised, fossil-fuel intensive, long-distance linear supply chains to re-localised agri-food systems; reducing the gross inequalities associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in and between countries; and financing democracy for climate repair.