Farmers to Receive Funding from GAFSP

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), a global fund dedicated to reducing food insecurity and poverty in low-income countries, today announced $121 million in new grants for nine national governments and, for the first time, an additional $30 million for producer organizations based in 12 countries worldwide. This funding aims to strengthen sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems in the world’s poorest countries, in response to rising food insecurity linked to COVID-19 and climate change.

For over a decade, GAFSP has supported locally-led, inclusive projects across the entire agriculture value chain – from ‘farm to fork’. For the first time in its history, GAFSP is now providing small-scale grants directly to producer organizations to help meet the demand for financing for smallholder farmers and their organizations. Farmers, through civil society and farmers’ organizations’ representatives, have always had a seat at the table in GAFSP’s decision-making process and are now designing, implementing, and leading on solutions that address their needs as key stakeholders in building sustainable food systems.

This is the sixth call for agricultural investments in countries eligible for development assistance from the International Development Association (IDA) – the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. Proposals were selected based on recommendations of an independent review conducted by global agriculture experts, and then selected through a competitive process by the fund’s Steering Committee, composed of donors, recipient countries, civil society organizations, and multilateral development agencies, including the World Bank.