Strategic Investment Planning and Policy
Transforming the world’s agrifood systems calls for greater public and private investment shaped by strategic and innovative thinking. It calls for good analysis, a shared vision and sound policies.
Linking conducive policies with sizeable investments is one of the best ways to achieve impact at scale. The FAO Investment Centre works with countries and partners to develop agricultural investment strategies and plans, including through FAO’s flagship Hand-in-Hand initiative.
The Centre leads and contributes to policy, analytical and sector studies to improve the quality and quantity of agrifood investments. And it brings together public and private sector stakeholders – including producer organizations, governments, financing partners and others – to discuss policy issues and resolve bottlenecks along supply chains.
In 2023 alone, the Centre contributed to 40 agricultural strategies, 49 sector studies, 15 policy studies and 16 policy dialogues in 67 countries.
Initiatives
Latest stories
Directions in Investment
Soil health and fertilizer: Policy and investment prospects in sub-Saharan Africa
17/06/2026
A new technical report – Soil health and fertilizer: Policy and investment prospects in sub-Saharan Africa – highlights the urgent need for a more...
Five Years and Five Levers to Roll Back Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
05/05/2026
A regional workshop brought together key stakeholders involved in combating the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire,...
New book traces the FAO Investment Centre’s evolution over its first 60 years
19/12/2025
For over six decades, the FAO Investment Centre has helped countries invest in agrifood systems to reduce hunger, poverty and malnutrition and advance...
How Investment in the Lobito Corridor Could Boost Zambia’s Agrifood Value Chains and Inclusive Prosperity
18/12/2025
An analysis of key value chains along the Lobito Corridor in Zambia showed that soybeans, cassava and horticulture are among the most promising value...
Latest publications
Advancing agrifood systems transformation in Colombia: A participatory bottom-up approach
07/2025
Agrifood systems (AFS) play a key role in Colombia’s economy, employing around 35 percent of the workforce. Colombia has been at the forefront of efforts to transition towards sustainable AFS though participatory processes and evidence-based approaches.
FAO Investment Centre - 2024 at a glance
06/2025
FAO is intensifying its efforts with financing partners to crowd in public and private investment for a more food-secure, resilient and sustainable future for all.
Accessing finance to invest in agrifood: A review of experimental evidence
12/2024
This brief focuses on the impacts of finance access on farmers’ investments and how it can enable investments in farms and businesses. It examines experimental and quasi-experimental evidence around farmers’ and small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) access to finance, the economic impacts of accessing financial services on investments, and the constraints of accessing finance in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs).
FAO Investment Centre - 2023 at a glance
07/2024
FAO, through its Investment Centre, works with partners to provide tailored, scalable investment and finance solutions to help countries achieve better, more sustainable outcomes. This latest edition looks at the Centre’s achievements in 2023 while also identifying priority areas for the coming years.
Bioinputs: Investment opportunities in Latin America
05/2024
Available in Portuguese and Spanish. Bioinputs are a vital element in the agroecological transitions and represent the entry point of production systems into highly demanding markets. They also provide a sustainable path towards increased yields and reduced costs in agricultural activity. However, there are still several risks and limitations to the region’s development and use of bioinputs.