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
Tunisia and Egypt look to Italy’s example for improving grain handling and storage
01/04/2025
A high-level delegation of Tunisian and Egyptian officials responsible for grain storage and procurement visited Italy’s two main grain importing...
Directions in Investment
Bringing phytosanitary certificates into the digital age
18/03/2025
The report, released today at the 19th meeting of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19), the standard-setting body promoting cooperation...
Investment Briefs
How farmers’ access to finance boosts investment in agrifood systems
04/02/2025
The FAO Investment Centre, in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action (
.tmb-th600x400.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=e367e743_3 "20240723_SC_998 (1)")
West African leaders equipped to drive more sustainable livestock investments
03/02/2025
Around 25 livestock specialists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo and the
Latest publications
Investing in trade digitalization: the case of ePhyto
03/2025
Global trade in plants and plant products is rapidly expanding – more than doubling in some cases – and set to grow another 11 percent by 2032. Yet, many countries still employ mostly manual rather than electronic means for issuing the phytosanitary certificates required to trade goods internationally.
Jordan: A catalogue of agritourism experiences
02/2025
This catalogue is the result of extensive research and dialogues with key stakeholders, and highlights more than 40 unique agritourism experiences across Jordan. It offers a portal for tourists, both inside and outside the country, to engage in a spectrum of agricultural activities and enjoy the country’s local produce.
Understanding commercial urban agriculture - An overview
01/2025
From 2021 through 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, University of Bologna, Wageningen University and Research, University of Liège and others conducted an exhaustive study assessing the state of commercial urban agriculture (CUA) globally, with special focus on countries in which the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) operates.
Digital technologies for agriculture in Türkiye - A review
01/2025
This study reviews the current state of digital technologies in agriculture in Türkiye. Following a brief review of key trends and challenges in the agriculture sector, the study describes the ecosystem for digital transformation and the current technology supplier landscape.
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).