Agriculture and Food

Healthy, sustainable and inclusive food systems are critical to achieve the world’s development goals. Agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity, and feed a projected 10 billion people by 2050.

But agriculture-driven growth, poverty reduction, and food security are at risk: Multiple shocks – from COVID-19 related disruptions to extreme weather, pests, and conflicts – are impacting food systems. The goal of ending global hunger by 2030 is currently off track. Conflicts, climate change, and high food prices are driving food and nutrition insecurity, pushing millions into extreme poverty, and reversing hard-won development gains.

The world is moving in the wrong direction on food and nutrition security – with over 2 billion people facing either moderate or severe food insecurity and many more who cannot afford a healthy diet. The growing impact of climate change could further cut crop yields, especially in the world’s most food-insecure regions. At the same time, our food systems are responsible for about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.

But the food system can heal the planet, reduce emissions and drive growth: Feeding people adequately now is an opportunity to shape tomorrow’s growth trajectory, prioritizing health, and enabling the next generation of on- and off-farm entrepreneurs.

The food transition can also help eliminate a third of the world’s greenhouse emissions by 2050, if we can secure the $260 billion per year that is needed to address the food sector’s carbon and environmental footprint.

While many efforts are underway, we need change that matches the speed and scale of the energy transition. This will hinge on collaboration between humanitarian and development actors, strong action from policymakers, and private investment to fund much of the transition.

Last Updated: Oct 09, 2024

The World Bank Group provides knowledge, advice, and financial resources in low- and middle-income countries to transform food systems to reduce poverty and achieve green, resilient, and inclusive development.

Our work in food and agriculture focuses on: 

• Food and nutrition security, where we work with efforts to share information, and to rapidly provide resources where they are needed, while helping countries design the long-term reforms needed to build resilient food and nutrition systems.
• Climate-smart agriculture by working with client governments to provide solutions that address global climate priorities, while recognizing national contexts and development objectives.
• Data-driven digital agriculture by expand the frontier of financing and expertise for digital agriculture.
• Mobilizing capital for development in agriculture & food. We identify and leverage growth areas for productive investments, focusing on innovation and impact. And we design projects to ensure that financing boosts sustainable productivity gains, reaches smallholders and SMEs, and creates jobs to end poverty and hunger.
• Public policy and expenditure by working with governments to facilitate the adoption of more sustainable approaches, technologies, and practices, alongside policies that promote public and private sector investment.
• Sustainable and healthy diets to ensure that food can support a healthy population.

Working closely with partners and our client countries, the World Bank Group is tackling food and nutrition insecurity and development as interconnected challenges – to get us back on track to achieve zero hunger and poverty by 2030. With commitments of US$77 billion over the last five years, the World Bank Group strengthened food and nutrition security for millions. We will now aim to reach 306 million people by 2030, striving to create more sustainable, resilient and people-centered food systems. To achieve this, we will:

• Scale up investments to drive climate-smart solutions across the entire food system, while improving health services and social safety nets to boost nutrition for all,
• Collaborate with governments to repurpose agrifood public support policies and programs to accelerate the transition,
• Mobilize private capital into the agribusiness industry and finance for farmers,
• Work more closely with our partners to accelerate the transition at scale.

Last Updated: Oct 09, 2024

For 18 years, the World Bank has helped Bolivia improve agricultural production and marketing through productive alliances, connecting small rural producers to markets. Over 2,600 alliances have benefited 107,308 families. Following the completion of the second phase in 2023, 50,989 people were supported, with 97% maintaining or improving their alliances for at least two cycles. These producers experienced a 64% increase in average sales from better market access. The third phase has now launched, aiming to impact nearly 130,000 rural communities by focusing on food security, resilient agricultural practices, and enhancing women's participation.

In Brazil, a new program is helping 900,000 family farmers become more resilient to climate change and improve their livelihoods. It will also support achievements of Brazil’s Nationally Determined Contribution. Launched in 2024 with the government of Bahia, the first phase focuses on enhancing market access and agricultural productivity, while also providing reliable water services in rural areas. It will fund 800 projects for family farming, support 129 rural organizations in adopting better practices, and improve food security for 13,000 people. Future phases will expand to Pernambuco, promoting sustainable farming practices, and to Santa Catarina, aiming to boost climate resilience and market access for farmers.

In Ethiopia, between 2015 and 2024, a project has helped increase productivity and commercialization for 2.5 million farmers, of which 37% are women. The project supported farmers by linking them to markets, and build their capacity in efficient water and crop management to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation. Farmers were able to increase their yield in crops and livestock by 19% and 52% respectively, with revenue rising by 96%. The project has also provided irrigation for over 62,000 hectares of land with beneficiaries reaching 128,000 households. Nearly one million jobs in rural areas were created as a result of the project interventions.

Launched in 2016, the India Bihar Transformative Development Project has significantly increased rural incomes in Bihar by building on previous World Bank investments. It empowered over 6 million women through 500,000 Self Help Groups, improving livelihoods and financial access. By April 2023, members saved $47 million and accessed $2.4 billion in bank credit. Digital transactions reached $626 million, making the community platform a preferred option for various programs. The project also introduced innovative practices, including digital financial inclusion and women-managed kitchens (Didi ki Rasoi) and rural retail marts (Grameen Bazaars), with many initiatives recognized and replicated by the central government.

In Morocco, efforts are underway to modernize wholesale markets for fruits and vegetables in five regions. Food safety measures have been improved for 2,000 agribusinesses. Two innovation centers for agribusiness have begun operating, providing support for new ideas and practices. The program is also helping nearly 15,000 young agricultural entrepreneurs with technical and financial assistance. Additionally, there are initiatives to improve agricultural policies, focusing on nutrition and managing risks, as well as expanding support systems to protect farmers and agricultural workers.

Since 2010, a project has supported over 528,000 Rwandan farmers, half of whom are women, by enhancing agricultural production. Initiatives include developing over 10,600 hectares for marshland irrigation and improving 2,500 hectares of hillside irrigation. Matching grants helped 2,450 farmers adopt Farmer-Led Irrigation Development on 1,350 hectares. Soil conservation efforts covered 51,900 hectares. By 2024, greenhouse farming has surged, with 185 units installed, doubling yields of maize, rice, beans, and vegetables. Organized cooperatives improved market access, selling about 10 tons of vegetables weekly to premium markets, while $15 million in investments boosted livestock and crop insurance.

The Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project in Sierra Leone has integrated smallholder farmers into supply chains, transforming 106 grantees into profitable agribusinesses, including 17 companies and 42 producer organizations across six value chains. The project supported nearly 62,000 outgrowers, with 47% female participation, enhancing incomes and creating markets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an Interactive Voice Response system provided essential agricultural information in four local languages. Additionally, 310 km of roads were rehabilitated, creating 8,714 jobs and reducing travel time by 58%. Four new bridges are being built, benefiting around 1.68 million people by improving access and facilitating trade.

The Agriculture Sector Modernization Project in Sri Lanka supports economic recovery by transforming smallholder agriculture. Funded by the European Union, it introduces innovative farming technologies and business models that improve value chains. Over 35,000 farm households have benefited from methods that reduce water and fertilizer use, increasing productivity and income. The project also provides matching grants to over 1,400 small and medium enterprises, fostering new products and innovations that connect with smallholders, boost exports, and create jobs. Overall, it has impacted more than 160,000 people, with over 40% being women.

In Yemen, a project improved agricultural infrastructure by restoring 608 hectares of farmland and upgrading 16.6 kilometers of rural roads. It built water harvesting structures and refurbished 17 wells, benefiting over 1 million people through 90 small-scale projects that enhanced food security. The initiative created nearly 22,000 temporary jobs, including 2,914 for women. It also rehabilitated 3,980 hectares of land and improved irrigation canals. A veterinary campaign vaccinated 11 million small animals and treated over 9 million. Additionally, more than 7,500 women received business training and stipends to help them earn income and improve food security.

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2024

The World Bank works with a range of partners to achieve ambitious development goals: transforming food systems, boosting food security and empowering smallholder farmers, to realize zero hunger and poverty by 2030. 

The World Bank Group is a joint convener, with the G7 Presidency, of the Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS). A key outcome of the Global Alliance is the Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard, a key tool to fast-track a rapid response to the unfolding global food security crisis, designed to consolidate and present up-to-date data on food crisis severity, track global food security financing, and make available global and country-level research and analysis to improve coordination of the policy and financial response to the crisis.

The Bank hosts a  Multi-Donor Trust Fund, Food Systems 2030, that helps countries build better food systems, fostering healthy people, a healthy planet and healthy economies. The Trust Fund aims to deliver improved livelihoods and affordable, and nutritious diets for all, and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals of zero poverty and hunger by 2030 and the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. Food Systems 2030 provides advice and analytical products to underpin policy options, funds to pilot innovative approaches, and information to build support for change in different country contexts. It engages with the private sector by supporting the design, piloting and de-risking of innovative public-private partnerships that advance development and climate goals.   

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, a multilateral financing platform, is dedicated to improving food and nutrition security worldwide. Launched by the  G20 in the wake of the global response to the 2007–08 food price crisis, GAFSP works to build sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems in the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. Since its inception in 2010, the Program has mobilized more than US$2 billion in donor funds to reach more than 16.6 million people. GAFSP provides financial and technical resources – investment grants, technical assistance, concessional finance, and advisory services – to demand-driven projects along the food chain to accelerate the transformation of food systems at scale.

The World Bank leads the Food Systems, Land use and Restoration Global Platform (FOLUR), financed by the Global Environment Facility, in partnership with UNDP, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Landscapes Forum and the Food and Land-use Coalition. FOLUR is a $345 million, seven-year program that aims to improve the health and sustainability of landscapes that produce the world’s food. FOLUR targets sustainable production landscapes in 27 country projects for eight major commodities (livestock, cocoa, coffee, maize, palm oil, rice, soy, and wheat).

The World Bank chairs the System Council of CGIAR, a global partnership that advances cutting-edge science to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.

For more information, contact Clare Murphy-McGreevey on cmurphymcgreevey@worldbank.org.

Last Updated: Sep 19, 2023