Capacity Development for Investment (CD4I)
The FAO Investment Centre helps people and institutions make better agrifood investment and finance decisions through investment planning, training, economic and financial analysis, peer learning, mentoring, network building, study tours, webinars, e-learning and educational resources and tools.
One such tool is FAO’s RuralInvest. This participatory, interactive and free toolkit – developed nearly two decades ago and updated regularly – helps small and medium-sized rural entrepreneurs prepare viable business plans to access funding from banks and other financing partners.
The Centre also works with FAO’s technical divisions to develop, improve and scale up the use of other innovative tools and technologies. These include the Ex-Ante Carbon Balance Tool (EX-ACT), the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model interactive (GLEAM-i) and the Livestock Sector Investment and Policy Toolkit (LSIPT).
Initiatives
Latest stories
A risky business no more
02/04/2025
In Benin, between nine and ten percent of the population suffers from food insecurity and about 34 percent of children under five years old are affected...
FAO’s Investment Centre celebrates 60 years of effective development partnerships
16/10/2024
Over its six decades, the Investment Centre has helped design more than 2,400 partner-financed projects in 157 countries, totalling over $257 billion...
The FAO Investment Centre is 60 years young! Come celebrate with us on 15 October
15/10/2024
Come join us in celebrating this milestone with our partners, colleagues and guests on 15 October 2024, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am in the FAO Plenary,...
FAO and EBRD mark new milestone in 27-year cooperation
23/07/2024
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization...
Latest publications
Land tenure for Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples - An investment for the planet
12/2024
Despite the significant financial commitments made at COP 26 to recognize the territorial rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities with customary rights, including Afro-descendants, limited investment has reached local populations to protect, delimit, and title their territories.
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.
Investing in farmers: Agriculture human capital investment strategies
05/2023
Investing in farmers – or agriculture human capital – is crucial to addressing challenges in our agri-food systems. A global...
How to invest in farmers? - A guide for agriculture human capital investment projects
04/2023
Investing in farmers – or agriculture human capital – is crucial to addressing challenges in our agrifood systems. A global...
Investing in agriculture human capital - Roles for the private sector
04/2023
The objective of this brief is to assess the role of the private sector in developing human capital among smallholders....