Public Investment
Creating a healthier, more sustainable world requires massive investment. Transforming agrifood systems will cost USD 4 trillion, or more, from now until 2030 in low- and middle-income countries. That translates to about USD 680 billion per year.
For six decades, the FAO Investment Centre has helped mobilize billions of dollars of public investment in agriculture, food security, nutrition, poverty reduction and rural development.
The Centre provides tailored investment support to countries and financial partners at all stages of the project cycle – from project conception, identification, design and appraisal to implementation and evaluation.
Good investment design is only part of the equation. Supporting the implementation of ongoing investment projects – the lion’s share of the Centre’s work on public investment – ensures quality control and helps countries achieve positive and lasting results.
The Centre’s main partners include the World Bank, IFAD, multilateral and regional development banks like the African Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Inter-American Development Bank, along with specialist funds such as the Green Climate Fund, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program and the European Union.
Latest stories
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...
Improving performance in agrifood public spending in Niger
11/05/2026
The World Bank Group and the FAO Investment Centre just published a joint public expenditure and price incentive analysis to support the Government...
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
Transforming agriculture in South Sudan: From humanitarian aid to a development oriented growth path
08/2022
FAO teamed up with the World Bank on this strategic analysis of the investment, policy and institutional support needed to shift South Sudan’s agriculture sector from humanitarian relief to a development-oriented growth path.
Scaling up investments in agrifood systems for youth in Africa - What policymakers need to know
04/2022
This investment brief highlights the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. It...
Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa
04/2022
The Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa, developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission (AUC) through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process, highlight the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems.
FAO Investment Centre – 2021 at a glance
03/2022
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) aims to provide sustainable agrifood investment and finance solutions to...
Investing in agricultural water management: Pathways to a sustainable future
12/2021
This brief identifies innovations and opportunities for investing in sustainable agricultural water management in the coming decade, recognizing how such investments connect to ecosystems. The brief’s five key findings are based on a larger study on investments in agricultural water management and irrigation and drainage infrastructure made by international financing institutions (IFIs) from 2010 to 2019.