The agribusiness sector has not yet reduced its forest footprint to be on track to eliminate deforestation by 2030, in line with government and private sector commitments. A new set of Priority Actions for Agribusinesses launched under the 2030 Global Forest Vision calls on companies to adopt and advance highly impactful activities to address the agribusiness sector's forest impacts.

Agricultural commodity production remains the leading cause of deforestation, forest degradation, and ecosystem conversion. Given projected demand for key forest-risk commodities, these threats won't decline on their own before 2030.

Deforestation sits at the heart of the climate and biodiversity crises. Forests are critical mitigation and adaptation infrastructure, and their destruction is associated with a wide range of risks to companies in the land sector. If not addressed, these physical, transitional, or systemic risks may interact and amplify each other – and failing to take action to address these risks can introduce severe legal and financial consequences for businesses.

For example, cocoa importers in the European Union (EU) are projected to see significant price increases in coming decades, as deforestation in the Congo Basin affects rainfall, and therefore production of the world's cocoa supply – 70% of which is produced in West Africa. Meanwhile, agroforestry practices in Malawi have been shown to increase maize yields by 20% thanks to increased climate resilience.

Demand for deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) commodities is projected to grow in key markets including China, inspired in part by a push for stronger food security. Companies that adopt these practices in their operations and supply chains will be poised to take advantage of this shifting demand. Decisive action to protect and restore forests and other natural ecosystems, and the adoption of diversified production systems that maintain ecosystem services, has the potential to deliver both resilience against future risks and long-term value to businesses.

Progress by the agribusiness sector has not been sufficient to eliminate deforestation, forest degradation, and ecosystem conversion at scale. But leading traders and brands are demonstrating that improving traceability systems and cleaning up supply chains is possible, often facilitated by collaborative initiatives focused on specific commodities such as the Cocoa & Forests Initiative or the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. And the pace of target-setting and validation for corporate Forestry, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) targets under the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) doubled each week in 2025, potentially realizing high-level corporate pledges in measurable, targeted action to reduce land-use emissions including from deforestation, degradation, and conversion.

This corporate progress is being driven in part by governments and institutional investors. Ahead of its now twice-delayed roll-out later this year, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is already driving company action, especially on traceability systems. Although much more needs to be done, investors are increasingly aligning their policies, client requirements, and portfolio-level risk mitigation protocols.

What steps can agribusiness companies take to sustain and increase agricultural commodity production while building resilience and meeting new market opportunities? The Priority Actions for Agribusinesses identify four areas where companies can act now:

1. Protect forests and ecosystems to achieve climate and nature goals

Companies can enhance coherence and improve implementation by integrating forest and ecosystem actions into existing climate and nature strategies. Interventions that tackle deforestation and conversion within supply chains in line with the Accountability Framework – such as supporting suppliers to adopt climate-smart agricultural approaches – can deliver reduced supply chain emissions consistent with FLAG targets, and support business resilience.

By investing in supply chain traceability, and engaging with results-based finance initiatives, companies can leverage nature-related opportunities and reduce nature-related dependencies and impacts. These should be embedded into corporate and financial risk management using the guidance of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD).

2. Focus efforts where they matter most

Forest risks are often concentrated in a relatively small number of regions, suppliers, and commodities. Prioritization, traceability, and targeted action can deliver outsized impact. Risk assessments can help determine trends, impact or risk associated with different geographic origins, commodities, and/or suppliers. Companies should establish robust and interoperable traceability, starting with high-risk locations based on supplier mapping and relative risk; while several sector-specific tools are being used to provide robust traceability and monitoring.

3. Invest in landscape resilience

Companies must work with farmers, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and governments to build resilient production landscapes. Working at the landscape level allows these actors to align on a shared vision for socio-ecological and supply chain resilience, define measurable, context-specific priorities, and translate global goals into locally relevant indicators and milestones. In priority sourcing geographies, companies should partner with farmers and smallholders to provide technical, financial, and legal support, and co-invest in land registration, restoration, and sustainable intensification.

4. Use corporate influence to drive systemic changes

Supportive public policy, strong legal safeguards, and effective enforcement are essential. Companies should use their voice and market influence to help create the enabling conditions for action at scale.

These Priority Actions are evidence-based, aligned with existing global frameworks such as the Accountability Framework, and already proven to be practically applicable and effective in reducing risks, supporting farmer livelihoods, meeting food demand, and strengthening economic resilience.

As global attention turns to deforestation-free supply chains, including through the Deforestation Roadmap championed by Brazil, agri-food supply chain companies are uniquely capable of driving sector- and economy-wide change at the speed and scale required. Facing increasing risks to their operations and supply chains, agribusiness companies that produce or rely on commodities like cattle, soy, and palm oil, among others, have a critical window of opportunity to build economic, environmental, and social resilience, starting with the implementation of these critical priority actions.