A bold agenda for mobilizing capital and transforming agrifood systems at scale
Read the GDPRD White Paper
As global leaders gather for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, the urgency to reshape how we finance development has never been clearer. A critical challenge—and opportunity—lies in elevating agrifood systems as a strategic investment priority.
Why agrifood systems? Why now?
Transforming agrifood systems is one of the smartest investments the world can make—for prosperity, security, sustainability, and resilience. Agrifood systems are deeply interconnected with nearly every major development issue—from climate and health to employment, education and peace.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Agrifood systems employ more than one in three people globally, particularly women and youth.
- The cost of inaction—from environmental damage to poor health outcomes—adds up to US$12 trillion annually.
- The cost of transformation is just a fraction of that—US$1.2 to US$1.4 trillion per year—yet could unlock up to US$4.5 trillion annually in new business opportunities.
Investing in these systems is not only a moral imperative, but an economic and security imperative as well—particularly in fragile and conflict-affected regions where hunger and instability are on the rise.
A clear, practical agenda for change
The White Paper outlines a bold yet practical agenda to unlock the capital, partnerships, and innovation needed to drive change at scale. To achieve this transformation, the White Paper presents six priority areas for immediate action.
A call to action
The global community needs a new financing model that aligns public and private capital, leverages innovation and positions agrifood systems at the centre of sustainable development.
Read the White Paper and learn how we can shape a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future—starting with our food systems.
The High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) is composed of:
- Federica Diamanti, Associate Vice-President, External Relations Department, International Fund for Agricultural Development (Co-Chair)
- Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries, Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission (Co-Chair)
- Nikita Eriksen-Hamel, Deputy Director, Food Systems Practice, Global Affairs Canada
- Marianne Grosclaude, Lead Agriculture Economist, World Bank
- Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
- Cornelia Hett, Deputy Head of Section, Health and Food Systems, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
- Arif Husain, Chief Economist, United Nations World Food Programme
- Alice Ruhweza, President, AGRA
- Maximo Torero-Cullen, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Wilma Van Esch, Head of Food Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands
- Virginia Villar Arribas, Deputy Director, Private Sector Partnerships, United Nations World Food Programme.
The White Paper development has been approved by the Board of the GDPRD. It draws on recent reports on the financing of agrifood systems transformation and on interviews with key informants.
