Using innovative approaches to finance the future of food was the key theme and focus of the Platform’s activities in 2024. This year’s report highlights the crucial role of official development assistance (ODA), innovative blended finance, and private sector collaboration in transforming food systems and revitalizing rural development globally.

The Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) releases its 2024 Annual General Assembly (AGA) report, titled Financing Food Systems Transformation and Rural Revitalization: Opportunities and Challenges. The emerging messages are especially significant in light of the rapidly evolving donor environment, and underscore the urgent need to rethink the financing agenda for 2025 and beyond.

Read the background paper produced by the GDPRD to inform and stimulate discussions during the 2024 Annual General Assembly (AGA) on 26 – 27 November. The AGA will focus on the theme “Financing Food Systems Transformation and Rural Revitalization: Opportunities and Challenges.”

The year 2023 marked the Donor Platform’s 20th anniversary and the report highlights the activities and results in catalysing change and harmonizing impact. Highlights include a focus on sustainable and blended financing for SDG 2, stronger collaboration among donors for greater impact, and better data systems for food systems and rural development.

This technical note presents the detailed research, findings and recommendations from the enquiry into sustainable finance in agrifood systems conducted in 2023 by the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate in collaboration with members of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD). This accompanies the summary report released in March 2024, Unleashing the Catalytic Power of Donor Financing to Achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2.

This report presents the findings and recommendations of the enquiry into sustainable finance in agrifood systems conducted in 2023 by the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate for Donor Platform members. The investigation included a series of interviews which explored how donors, philanthropic organizations, public funds and blended capital funds can make their funding effective and act as an incentive for achieving SDG 2.