Private Investment
Transforming the world’s agrifood systems to be greener, fairer and more resilient calls for billions of dollars in new investments. Public funding alone is not enough. That is why the FAO Investment Centre works with governments and public and private partners to create the enabling conditions that attract greater and more responsible private investment in the agrifood sector.
Most of the Centre’s private sector work is carried out through its partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, helping to make agribusiness development in the Bank’s countries of operation more sustainable, inclusive and efficient. That includes advisory services such as identifying investment opportunities; facilitating public-private policy dialogues; promoting greener agrifood systems; developing food safety and quality standards and sustainable agritourism; supporting investment in digital solutions; and diversifying exports.
Initiatives
Latest stories
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Investment Briefs
Investing in people to promote agrifood transformation
09/06/2026
FAO Investment Centre and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) have released the fourth and final brief in a series exploring how finance, prices, technology...
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Directions in Investment
Sustainability-linked loans and the transition to more sustainable agrifood systems
02/06/2026
Agrifood systems are under growing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, improve water stewardship and ensure more sustainable...
TERRA: expanding access to finance for Kenyan small and medium agrifood companies
01/06/2026
A EUR 30 million credit line from the Italian bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to Equity Bank Kenya will ease access to finance for small and...
Investment Briefs
The dos and don’ts of blended finance in agrifood systems – advice to mobilize capital for impact via investment funds
23/03/2026
Blended finance – the use of public or philanthropic money to mobilize private investment for sustainable development – quickly gained traction as...
Latest publications
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. It identifies private sector roles in developing agriculture human capital and assesses the advantages, limitations and challenges of private sector involvement in developing farmers’ capacities.
FAO Investment Centre - 2022 at a glance
03/2023
FAO is committed to helping countries achieve a healthier, more sustainable future. That means finding the right combination of policies, innovations and public and private investment to help them realize the promise of the four betters – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all.
Evolution of food e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic
03/2023
The brief provides policy recommendations and identifies strategies and key areas of investment that are required for the sustainable development of FFV e-commerce. Governments, particularly urban authorities, must develop and promote a conducive institutional, regulatory and business environment to maximize e-commerce opportunities.
Digital technologies in the grain sector of Ukraine
09/2022
Using extensive interviews, the report assesses the extent to which Ukrainian farmers have adopted digital technologies, the many barriers to them doing so and the considerable opportunities these technologies present, while offering sharp insights into their potential contribution and how best to sustain them.
Georgia - Agritourism guide to Samtskhe-Javakheti. Places, people, products
08/2022
The purpose of this book is to better acquaint the general public with the agritourism potential of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region,...