Mobilizing finance for farmland restoration
Restoring farmland could deliver huge wins for climate and people. Restoring 250 million hectares by 2050, could cut between 12- 20 gigatonnes of emissions and increase food production by 9–15 billion tonnes of food (Project Drawdown, 2025). Farmers understand the benefits, over 200 projects around the world are ready to scale.
The financing gap
Restoring degraded forest and farmland worldwide is estimated to cost around USD$300 billion per year, yet only USD$65 billion are currently being invested (UNEP, 2024). The agrifood sector could make a significant contribution by investing around USD$90 billion in on-farm solutions (FOLU, 2024).
- Public vs. private investment. Currently, approximately 70 percent of restoration finance comes from public funds (UNEP, 2024) but private investment is accelerating (Ambition Loop and Capitals Coalition, 2025). At the end of 2024, the Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes reported USD$6 billion in commitments, covering 280 million hectares.
- Blended investments are needed. Despite momentum, commercial finance needs to scale: restoration projects often require high upfront investment, take time to generate returns, and returns can vary (FOLU and IUCN, 2017). Governments have a critical role to play in unlocking capital at scale by de-risking private investment and creating an enabling policy environment that includes setting clear standards and reporting frameworks (WBCSD, 2024).
Collaboration is essential. New blended models are emerging that deliver solutions for diverse project needs and risk-return profiles (Rockefeller, TIFS, Pollination, 2024), but they need to be accelerated. - Lessons from Brazil. Brazil has launched EcoInvest to finance its 40million hectare restoration target by blending public and private funds. In the last auction round, USD$3.2 billion in public finance catalysed an additional USD$2.5 billion from private investors, restoring up to 3 million hectares of pastureland (Government of Brazil, 2025).
Scaling investment in farmland restoration requires a “global mutirão”
A collective effort is needed that brings together governments, farmers and investors. RAIZ is not another fund, it is the global connective tissue that will make capital flow faster and smarter. To accelerate investment, RAIZ will support governments to:
- Map degraded landscapes to prioritize areas for investment
- Identify investable restoration projects and assess their financing needs
- Spotlight optimal investment mechanisms and scale proven solutions
- Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange within the financial ecosystem.