Agrifood systems can accelerate climate action providing solutions to food insecurity, poverty and biodiversity loss. Climate finance is key to unlocking this potential, but the current share of climate-related development finance is inadequate to support the necessary agrifood system transformation.

The agriculture and land use sector represents up to 37 percent of global GHG emissions, but the share of climate related development finance going to agrifood systems is decreasing.

Between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, an increase of over 122 million since 2019. Without immediate and bold action, the situation is set to worsen. As the world's most vulnerable countries and communities struggle with mounting hunger in the face of the coupled climate and biodiversity crises, boosting both the quantity and quality of investment, and ensuring countries have the right policies and monitoring frameworks in place is essential to scale up ambitious agrifood system transformation. To strengthen the response to these pressing challenges, FAO is hosting the Task Force of the FAST Partnership and facilitating its implementation.

The COP27 Presidency and FAO agreed that FAO would support the operationalization of the FAST Initiative through the establishment of the FAST Partnership. FAO will host the Partnership’s Task Force acting as a Secretariat at its headquarters in Rome and facilitate its work. However, the success and strength of the FAST Partnership depends on its diverse range of partners who will bring their unique expertise and know-how to accelerate the transformation of agriculture and food systems for a better future.

Current partners include governments, intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, civil society organizations, youth and farmers’ organizations, and global and regional networks.

The FAST Partnership received full support from the COP28 Presidency, and its inception meeting took place during a High-level Ministerial event at COP28 on 10 December 2023.  

The inception phase of the FAST Partnership is being supported by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany (BMEL). During this inception phase the Task Force in FAO will develop the founding documents of the Partnership and convene two strategic meetings with Board Members and Partnership Members in 2024. The meetings will define the workplan of the Partnership and ways of engagement among Members.