Location
Africa, Asia, Latin America
Stakeholders involved
More than 80 companies (multinationals and micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)) across Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as 12 international technical partners (Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), Shamba Centre for Food & Climate, Access to Nutrition initiative (ATNi), African Union Development Agency (AUDA–NEPAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Global Citizen, Grow Asia, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), SUN Business Network (SBN), World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), WBCSD and UN World Food Programme (WFP).
Lead organization
Scale
At this stage, 81 companies have committed USD $640+ million since 2021. In 2021 and 2022, 14 companies had spent USD $140 million toward 103 projects in 46 different countries. New performance data on the pledge will be released by the end of 2025.
companies
million (USD)
projects
different countries
Co-investment model
The ZHP does not endorse a specific co-investment model but encourages private sector investment in general, encompassing both core business investments and co-investments alongside catalytic capital from public and development finance. Additionally, the ZHP fosters multistakeholder collaboration by promoting partnerships between companies and implementing organizations to maximize impact. Certain companies have committed capital to co-investment facilities or projects. This is the case of Rabobank, which pledged its contribution to the EUR €100 million Farmfit Fund, a public-private impact fund for smallholder farmers, with contributions from JDE Peet’s, Mondelēz, Unilever, FMO and the Dutch government. The Fund has an innovative financing model that de-risks investments and helps drive sustainable impact by lowering risks and costs for both farmers and investors.
Impact
million kilograms of food from perishing
million 200ml servings of nutritious whey-based drink
reduction in water consumption
An example is Sahanala’s work with over 10,000 members across 5 federations in 2024 to support sustainable and smallholder agriculture that strengthen local communities in Madagascar. Companies in the program have also provided numerous other benefits around the world, such as Unilever’s implementation of regenerative agriculture practices on 130,000 hectares of land by the end of 2024, with plans to increase this to more than 200,000 hectares during 2025. There are also the solar-powered cold rooms developed by ColdHubs, which saved nearly 14 million kilograms of food from perishing, while its refrigerated trucks transported more than 19 million kilograms of food without spoilage in 2024. These efforts prevented the release of approximately 14 million kilograms of CO2 emissions during the year.
Arla Foods Ingredients, through the Whey2Value project in Pakistan, addresses the estimated 437 million 200ml servings of nutritious whey-based drink that it is possible to produce from whey (a by-product of cheese production) in Pakistan, repurposing what would be waste into valuable nutrition. By the end of 2024, PepsiCo had achieved a 70% reduction in water consumption at its plants in Mexico. Through its Agrovita program, PepsiCo installed rainwater harvesting systems for communities in Chiapas in 2023. Through technology transfer, training and quality assurance, local producers in the Nutriset PlumpyField Network have enabled the network to produce over 134,000 metric tons of nutritional products in 2024 and create hundreds of local jobs.
Levers and enablers
The ZHP mobilizes private sector investments aligned with evidence-based interventions to end hunger, with commitments ranging from less than USD $100 to over USD $150 million, complementing public spending. Accelerating and de-risking private and blended investments require additional financial instruments and mechanisms. Strengthening investment readiness, pipeline develoment and supporting robust impact measurement frameworks are also critical enablers.
The ZHP supports alignment with national priorities and food system pathways by emphasizing strong country ownership through partnerships with governments and institutions. Pledging companies also commit to national laws and international frameworks. The ZHP promotes investment in high-impact areas identified by Ceres2030, including innovative farming practices, digital tools and data-driven approaches to improve the productivity, nutrition and sustainability of SMEs in global agrifood value chains. By uniting the private sector, governments, international organizations, NGOs and local partners, the ZHP drives progress on Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Zero Hunger. By leveraging existing platforms and programs, the ZHP facilitates coordinated efforts that harness complementary expertise and resources.
The ZHP mobilizes private sector investments aligned with evidence-based interventions to end hunger, with commitments ranging from less than
million (USD)
to over
million (USD)
complementing public spending
Barriers
Scaling the ZHP requires sufficient financing to fulfill and increase company commitments, enhance value for pledging companies and attract new commitments. At the same time, growing reporting demands from regulatory authorities and civil society challenge companies to track and demonstrate their sustainability impact. In some regions, inadequate or fragmented policy and regulatory frameworks also hinder the transition to sustainable models. Additionally, siloed approaches, competing interests and a lack of unified policies limit the effectiveness of coordination and emergence of public-private partnerships.
Lessons for scaling
- Ensure strong collaboration among stakeholders, including the private sector, governments, international organizations, NGOs and local communities.
- Provide opportunities for targeted technical assistance, financial support and knowledge exchange – especially for MSMEs.
- Strive for multi-sectoral approaches that integrate nutrition, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
- Ensure country ownership of the approaches to align international initiatives with national priorities and food system pathways.
- Aim to unlock private investments through catalytic funding from donors and philanthropic organizations, alongside strong civil society advocacy for enabling policies.
- Balance accountability with flexible reporting frameworks to build trust and foster broader participation.
