What we took away from London Climate Action Week 2026
With more than 75,000 participants and over 1,000 events across nine days, London Climate Action Week 2026 once again demonstrated its role as one of the world's leading moments for climate collaboration. But this year, the conversations unfolded against an unmistakable backdrop: record-breaking heat across the UK and Europe brought the reality of climate change into sharp focus, reinforcing the growing urgency to move beyond ambition. Across finance, business and government, one theme stood out above all others: resilience is no longer a future agenda, it is a present-day investment priority.
Throughout the week, IDH was proud to co-host three events and contribute to a wide range of discussions. For example, on the role of finance in accelerating more resilient and inclusive food systems. Together, the sessions reflected the growing momentum behind practical solutions.
For IDH, London Climate Action Week reaffirmed a clear opportunity: the capital exists, the ambition exists, and innovative financing approaches are emerging. The next step is ensuring these solutions reach the people, businesses and landscapes that need them most, at the speed and scale the climate challenge demands.
Scaling finance for food security
One of the biggest challenges in agricultural finance is not the absence of capital. It is the mismatch between how capital is structured and what food systems actually need.
Domestic food markets in emerging economies are critical to resilience, economic development and food security. Yet they often struggle to attract investment due to perceived risk, smaller ticket sizes, currency exposure and less formal market structures.
If we are serious about strengthening climate resilience and food security, we need to rethink investment design. Blended finance, local currency solutions, risk-sharing mechanisms and partnerships with local financial institutions all have a role to play.
At our London Climate Action Week discussion with Climate Policy Initiative and FCDO, we explored how investment approaches can better align with the realities facing smallholder farmers and agrifood SMEs.
The opportunity is significant. The challenge is designing financial solutions that can reach it.
Finance for pasture restoration
Transitioning livestock systems requires finance designed for the challenge. IDH, together with Violet and representatives from Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), brought together investors and key stakeholders to discuss the emerging structure of the Cria Fund, a dedicated financing vehicle being developed as part of IDH's beef strategy.
The discussion focused on the investment thesis, fund structure, and path ahead, marking an important step in building the partnerships needed to scale impact.
Designed to support small and medium-sized cattle producers in the Brazilian Amazon, the Cria Fund will combine livestock-compatible finance, digital technical assistance, and market access to restore degraded pastures and accelerate the transition to regenerative, low-carbon production systems.
This was not a launch, but an opportunity to align around a shared ambition: turning innovative finance into real change on the ground.
As Martha de Sá, CFA from Violet said: “It is not the first step in the journey but the first step that truly enables scale.”
Investing in resilient landscapes
The Jurisdictional Action Network, hosted by IDH's developed SourceUp and ISEAL brought together companies, investors, and landscape leaders to tackle a critical question: how do we unlock the investment needed to build resilient landscapes? The audience heard from a range of speakers including IDH’s Director of Financial Markets, Marcela Paranhos and Senior Program Manager for Climate and Naure, Annelotte Crena de Iongh.
The message from the room was clear: Investing in landscapes is not just an environmental imperative - it's a business imperative. It helps companies secure long-term supply, manage climate and nature-related risks, and deliver lasting benefits for nature and for the people who depend on it, from restored ecosystems and healthier watersheds to stronger rural livelihoods. But no single company can achieve this alone. Building resilient landscapes requires collective action, innovative financing, and partnerships that extend far beyond the farm gate.
Missed the session? Click to watch it on You Tube