Thirty-eight countries and five regional initiatives are presenting a record $20.16 billion in proposed agrifood investments at the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum 2026, which opened on 13 October at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. Governments pitched $17.3 billion at last year's forum.
The four-day event is part of the World Food Forum. Government representatives, private companies, development banks and foundations will meet one to one to work out financing, deal with investment risks and form partnerships. FAO says the proposals, which could benefit 117.8 million people, target some of the world's most vulnerable communities and span staple crops, livestock, fisheries and high-value products such as coffee and cocoa.
"Building resilience requires sustained investment in agrifood systems but too many opportunities are untapped because of high risks," said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. Investors often lack the information and credible plans they need, he said, and Hand-in-Hand is changing how such investments are designed, de-risked and financed.
The model divides the work among four parties: governments set national priorities, FAO supplies data and technical analysis, international financial institutions help absorb early losses, and private investors bring capital. FAO uses geospatial data, economic modelling and information on climate risk, soil health, infrastructure, market access and poverty to pick the territories and value chains where money can do most.
This year's cases range from yak cheese in Nepal, kava in Tonga and cinnamon in Sri Lanka to honey exports from Cuba, cocoa in Haiti, red meat in Madagascar and avocados in Angola. Ghana is presenting a $1.2 billion portfolio covering cassava and soybean production, poultry, and soybean and rice processing, which it says would create 250,000 jobs and reduce import dependence. The Philippines is seeking $57.4 million for coffee, seaweed, mango, jackfruit and cocoa, and Colombia $75.3 million for a logistics centre for smallholders in Boyacá and sustainable livestock in Córdoba.
Since 2022 the initiative has helped countries prepare 387 investment cases worth $47.26 billion, of which $7.88 billion has been committed or is under negotiation; 87 countries now take part. FAO points to Ecuador, where more than $300 million has been mobilised since 2022, and Nepal, which reports $304 million committed with another $160 million under negotiation.
The regional initiatives cover Amazonia, small island states in the Pacific and Africa, the Dry Corridor and arid zones, and Southern Africa, with themes from forest-product traceability and the blue economy to biosecurity, pest management, irrigation and farm mechanisation. Thematic sessions will deal with livestock, coffee and cocoa value chains, the Central Asia Breadbasket Initiative and artificial intelligence.
Source: FAO Newsroom
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