Agrifood Systems
Transformation
for Resilience

Sustaining progress against hunger and making healthy diets affordable for all requires agrifood systems to become resilient, inclusive, and sustainable, so they deliver on economic, social, and environmental outcomes. The Hand-in-Hand Initiative aims to accelerate this transformation by supporting investments that create sustainable economic opportunities, raise incomes, and improve access to healthy diets, especially for vulnerable and underserved rural communities. Building resilience is increasingly critical, as climate and geopolitical shocks grow in frequency and intensity. 

Territorial Approach

The Initiative uses geospatial, biophysical, socioeconomic, and market data, combined with advanced analytics and economic modeling, to identify territories and value chains where targeted investment can generate the greatest development impact. GIS specialists, economists, agronomists, and other experts assess development needs, productive potential, market access, environmental conditions, and investment feasibility, supported by partnerships with leading research and technical institutions. This evidence-based approach helps countries move from broad development priorities to targeted, investable opportunities.

Innovative 
Financing Model

The Initiative turns country priorities into investable opportunities through a structured process of targeting, investment design, de-risking, and financing that brings together four pillars of agrifood investment: governments, FAO, international financial institutions, and private investors. Together, these four pillars provide a multilayered approach to de-risking investment, technically and financially. The model addresses different barriers to investment and assigns risks to the actors best equipped to manage them. The result is an investment architecture that connects countries’ agrifood priorities with the financing and partnerships needed to deliver them.

Investment Forum

Held every October in Rome, the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum connects countries' investment opportunities with the partners and capital needed to implement them. Countries present investment cases developed through the Hand-in-Hand process to international financial institutions, development partners, private investors, producer organizations, philanthropies, and other potential partners. The Forum goes beyond traditional resource mobilization by creating a marketplace where governments can engage directly with organizations and investors capable of financing and de-risking these investments.

Partner Matchmaking

The Initiative facilitates governments’ efforts to engage with donors and development partners in mobilizing support and operationalizing national agricultural strategies and investment plans. To this end, FAO has developed a “matchmaking” approach, which brings together national and local authorities, donors, international financial institutions, private enterprises, producer organizations, civil society organizations, and research institutions. Partners are sought for their ability to provide critical means of implementation — technology, data and information, capacity development, funding and financing — for identified programmes.

Programme Governance