First and foremost, we call on all stakeholders involved in transforming the global food system to collaborate on intersectional solutions and co-investment models. In addition, we strongly advocate for key stakeholder groups to drive food system transformation by undertaking the following:
Public sector – both national and local governments – play the role of policy enablers and institutional backers. We call on governments to create stable, coherent policy frameworks to incentivize long-term investments in sustainable land and ocean use and food consumption, which are key to climate resilience, improved nutrition and food security, and to:
- Align national plans (e.g., nationally determined contributions, agrifood system strategies, national biodiversity strategies and action plans) with public-private investment platforms to make projects investable;
- Invest in public goods – such as data systems, technical and extension services, traceability, R&D, MRV – to reduce transaction costs and boost investor confidence.
International financial institutions (IFIs), including multilateral development banks and development finance institutions, play a role as early risk takers and capital providers. We call on these financial players to:
- De-risk private investment through guarantees, concessional loans and first-loss capital;
- Direct attention to closing the gaps within competitive and productive value chains that can sustainably build value;
- Enhance and strengthen public and private finance and collaboration to build capacities and knowledge to facilitate access to investment;
- Provide innovative tools and facilities, such as blended finance (fund structures, guarantee schemes), debt swaps, digital warehouse receipts, digital finance, sustainability linked loans and outcome bonds, hedging and insurance schemes to mobilize the investment required for agrifood system transformation;
- Coordinate among IFIs to ensure that efforts are aligned with national and regional priorities and strategies, e.g. the importance of frameworks such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
Private sector - play the role of market makers/offtakers, supply chain transformers, capital providers and knowledge, network and capacity providers. We call on the private sector to:
- Invest in pre-competitive solutions that secure long-term supply chain resilience as well as climate, nature, livelihoods and health benefits;
- Co-design blended finance solutions with public sector partners that embed social and environmental returns and optimize the use of blending;
- Adopt and implement sustainability-linked financing and sourcing models, including payments for ecosystem services, sustainable bonds and traceable procurement;
- Adopt strong corporate accountability mechanisms and robust MRV approaches;
- Support, develop and build partnerships with local private sector networks, including SMEs and cooperatives.
Philanthropy plays the role of catalyst, incubator and connecter. We call on philanthropies to:
- Invest in ecosystem infrastructure, including coalition building, capacity strengthening and shared MRV tools;
- Fund advocacy and narrative change to shift norms for regenerative and inclusive agrifood systems;
- With a potentially higher risk tolerance than other finance providers, explore more innovative and inclusive approaches, use catalytic capital to unlock blended finance vehicles, especially for underinvested geographies, and act as an R&D catalyzer.
Civil society, farmers and frontline communities - play the role of implementers and contribute significantly to building legitimacy and driving accountability. They can support by:
- Advocating for finance strategies to reflect the priorities and capacities of producers, especially smallholder producers, women and Indigenous communities;
- Getting organized to engage in the design of co-investment models and governance structures, thereby contributing to ensuring the equal sharing of benefits; regional networks can be a means to replicate local success stories and scale grassroots innovations;
- Championing social safeguards to build trust and drive uptake at scale;
- Emphasizing collaboration at value chain levels to create systemic economically viable models.
