European Union
The European Union is one of FAO’s largest funders of extra-budgetary support. The FAO Investment Centre and the European Union have stepped up their collaboration around five featured investment initiatives: AgrIntel (2018); AgrInvest (2018); Food Systems Assessments (SASTI) (2021) followed by the Sustainable Agrifood Systems Intelligence (SASI) (2022); and the Global Sustainable Cocoa Initiative (2022).
The AgrIntel initiative is strengthening investment decision-making in agrifood systems for better targeting, efficiency and sustainable development goal alignment. The objective is to enable more private investments in agrifood systems that are sustainable and have a strong development impact for smallholder farmers. The Centre supports AgrIntel by reviewing investment and technical assistance proposals submitted by three agrifood blended funds and one blended facility. Since its 2018 inception and through 2023, 99 agrifood investment ventures have been signed by these four blended vehicles for a total investment of EUR 443 million. Drawing lessons from this experience, the Centre also acts as a knowledge partner offering guidance to support the European Commission’s strategic orientations and decision-making within the agrifood sector and in the field of blended finance.
Since 2020, the AgrInvest project, financed by the European Union and FAO, has been helping the Uganda Development Bank increase its agrifood lending portfolio. Support has included a feasibility study on a new climate finance facility, training on agri-risk management and loan appraisal, and pilot initiatives with the UN Capital Development Fund on digital finance and big data analytics.
In 2021, FAO, the European Union and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), partnered with governments and national stakeholders to conduct agrifood systems assessments and consultations in 49 countries. Building on these assessments, FAO, the European Union and Agrinatura – a consortium of European research institutions – launched a second phase, known as SASI. The aim is to improve the availability of knowledge and guidance, globally and nationally, on the institutions, policies and investment needed to accelerate the transition to sustainable agrifood systems.
Through the European Union’s Global Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, FAO is conducting various studies on the cocoa-chocolate value chain and providing long-term technical assistance globally, regionally and in the three cocoa-producing countries of Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Related links
Initiatives
Latest stories
_resized.tmb-th600x400.jpeg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=b945092c_1 "UN Photo _ Lucien Rajaonin (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)_resized")
Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Sierra Leone: From Strategy to Implementation Plan
18/11/2024
A concrete action plan was recently designed to strengthen the food value chain by better linking farmers to markets and enhancing capacities for...
The Cameroonian model in agroforestry for sustainable cocoa production
04/11/2024
From 13 to 22 October 2024, a delegation of experts, institutions and practitioners involved in promoting...
Consumer-oriented policies and investments crucial to ensure food security
04/11/2024
“Do not be afraid to invest in consumers to help farmers.” That was the key message underlining the...
Investing in agri-logistic infrastructure for greater market access in Bhutan: learning from Rome’s wholesale market
22/10/2024
A delegation from the Bhutanese Government led by H.E. Younten Phuntsho, Minister of Agriculture and...
Latest publications
Understanding microfinance interest rates in agrifood
07/2024
Interest rates have been a contentious issue in microfinance for many years. While higher interest rates for microloans are often justified by the underlying costs of making small loans in rural areas, this is not always the case.
Comparative study on the distribution of value in European chocolate chains - Executive summary
05/2024
The low level of income of most small cocoa farmers, especially in Western Africa, has been a growing issue in the cocoa sector for the past three decades, furthermore, ensuring a living income for small cocoa farmers has become a pressing issue across producing countries.
Food Systems Assessment: Malawi Country Profile
09/2023
This Food Systems Profile provides a summary of the main food system issues in Malawi and highlights potential solutions for their sustainable and inclusive transformation.
Food Systems Profile – Papua New Guinea
08/2023
This Food Systems Profile provides a summary of the main food system issues in Papua New Guinea and highlights potential solutions for their sustainable and inclusive transformation.
Food Systems Assessment: Palestine Country Profile
06/2023
This Food Systems Profile provides a summary of the main food system issues in Palestine and highlights potential solutions for their sustainable and inclusive transformation.