The Government of Cameroon with the support of the FAO Investment Centre, in collaboration with the European Union and the European Forest Institute and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, is organizing a workshop on 25 November 2025 in Yaoundé to present the progress results of the national land cover mapping with the participation of around 50 representatives from government entities, development partners, civil society and research institutions.

Privately-owned micro, small and medium agrifood enterprises (MSMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Türkiye seeking loans from local financial institutions stand to benefit from TERRA, a new innovative programme from Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Union.

TERRA is short for “Transforming and Empowering Resilient and Responsible Agribusiness.”

The Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with financing from the EU through the Sustainable Agrifood Systems Intelligence (SASI) Initiative, provided technical assistance and contributed to the organization of the event, mobilizing international and regional investors and facilitating dialogue with Sierra Leonean agrifood firms, along with other partners. 

In an effort to develop its livestock sector to enhance food and nutritional security while promoting youth and women’s businesses, the Mauritanian Government has launched the Awkar Programme, financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), and designed with technical inputs from the FAO Investment Centre. 

A delegation from FAO, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and agrifood entrepreneurs from Türkiye visited the region to see how these innovations are contributing to more sustainable and profitable agrifood systems, especially for regional crops like apples and grapes.

The FAO Investment Centre and the Food and Nutrition Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) developed the methodology and tested it in Ethiopia and the Philippines – two countries with reliable individual dietary data from national surveys. This was done in partnership with the World Bank through their  Repurposing Agrifood Public Policies and Support for Healthy Diets project. 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) worked closely with Türkiye’s main pine honey industry players – beekeepers, processors, exporters, government officials, economists and scientists – to develop and register the GI.

The Livestock Sector Investment and Policy Toolkit (LSIPT) Web Application, a new sophisticated yet user-friendly digital platform developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with CIRAD and the World Bank, was launched on 30 September, during the FAO Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation.

Producer organizations play a central role in structuring and sustainably developing the cocoa sector. As grassroots actors, they represent producers, handle product collection, facilitate access to quality inputs and financing, and contribute to strengthening cooperative members’ capacities. However, they face several challenges: low organizational capacity, limited access to financing, lack of infrastructure, and difficulties in complying with national and international standards—particularly the new European regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR).

Transforming global agrifood systems requires trillions of dollars in investment until 2030 – an enormous task, especially amid such uncertain times. Nuno Santos, the FAO Investment Centre’s Deputy-Director in charge of business development, talks about helping financing partners do more and better in agrifood lending and why he thinks the Centre has a bright future.

The FAO Investment Centre’s global team, public and private financing partners and guests explored the theme “investing for more and better agrifood jobs” during the Centre’s 13th Investment Days at FAO headquarters in July.

The two-day event drew more than 240 participants. Keynote addresses and panel discussions examined how investments, policies, technology and innovation can tackle critical agrifood challenges – from an aging workforce and youth unemployment to advances in artificial intelligence and growing demand for new job skills.

Facing growing water scarcity, Jordan is piloting a new approach to make every drop count in agriculture by combining satellite data with farm-level economic analysis. This approach is the focus of a new study by FAO and EBRD, which was launched at a workshop in Amman this week, bringing together government agencies, research institutions, farmers, and private sector representatives.

A regional workshop entitled Innovations in Livestock for Multidimensional Sustainability took place this week in Paraguay as part of a study by the World Bank and FAO, with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The study highlights livestock innovations to boost productivity and sustainability. Insights from the workshop and study will shape policies and investments that scale livestock innovations and build more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive systems across the region.

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. The multi-stakeholder transformation processes underway at the sub-regional level enable the identification of specific AFS priorities, action plans, and investment frameworks that complement national policies while reflecting local realities. 

As the world’s fifth-largest cocoa producer, Cameroon is reinforcing its strategic position by launching an ambitious national mapping of its cocoa plantations. This initiative is part of the EU Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP), funded by the European Union and implemented by technical partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Republic of Djibouti has taken a step forward in strengthening its agrifood systems, convening government leaders, investors and technical partners at the country’s first Agribusiness Forum, organized under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from the World Bank, African Development Bank (AFDB), and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),  together with FAO. 

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), working in collaboration with private sector actors, civil society and with financial support from the European Union and both technical and financial support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Investment Centre under the EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative and Programme, has agreed to establish the Ghana Cocoa Monitor (GCM). 

Investment Days 2025, the 13th edition of the annual event, is a two-day forum featuring keynote speeches and panel participation by officers from various disciplines and regions as well as key FAO partner institutions including the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development - as well as the African Development Bank, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.

More than 560 000 people are expected to benefit directly from improved irrigation across approximately 32 000 hectares, while more than one million people are anticipated to gain indirect protection from flooding.

Approved this week by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board, with programme design prepared by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the FAO Investment Centre and the governments of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, DaIMA aims to reduce emissions and make dairy systems more productive and resilient, directly benefiting 2.5 million people.