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

In Angola, 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.

The Corredor Seco Food Security Project in Honduras, financed by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, has transformed the lives of over 14,000 extremely poor farmers. Launched in 2015 and set to end in 2025, the project has provided irrigation systems covering 1,050 hectares, benefiting over 10,000 producers. This has boosted agricultural productivity, food security, and nutrition. Additionally, 100 non-agricultural business plans have created job opportunities for vulnerable families. Training programs on agricultural practices, nutrition, and gender issues, including gender-based violence prevention, have empowered women and fostered stronger, more inclusive rural communities.

The Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project in India  has fostered inclusive rural economic growth by promoting farm and non-farm enterprises and creating local jobs. The project established One-Stop Facilities and the Tamil Nadu Rural Incubator and Start-Up Enabler to provide business development, mentoring, and financial support to women-owned rural enterprises. So far, it has impacted over 530,000 individuals and supported nearly 120,000 rural businesses, creating about 52,000 jobs. Through grants and partnerships with 16 banks, $36.2 million in credit has been facilitated for 9,722 enterprises, while 93,000 youth gained employable skills.

A project in India has transformed agriculture in Maharashtra, India, making it a hub for climate-resilient farming. The project covers 5,000 villages in 15 districts, impacting 12.5 million hectares and benefiting over 1.22 million smallholders. Through the establishment of 3,959 village climate-resilient committees and 37,184 Farmer Field Schools, the project has promoted climate-resilient technologies. Crop yields in project areas increased by 9 to 21%, with cotton and soybean showing the highest gains. In its second phase, the project aims to enhance resource efficiency and reduce emissions through precision farming.

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, the World Bank’s marshland and hillside development programs in Rwanda have enhanced agricultural production and commercialization, with 40% of initiatives led by women. The project developed over 13,300 hectares for marshland irrigation, improved 2,500 hectares of hillside irrigation, and conserved soil across 51,900 hectares. Ongoing efforts include expanding irrigation schemes, promoting sustainable land management for climate resilience on 10,000 hectares, and supporting financial services for farmers. A successful credit line pilot funded projects worth over $ 15 million. Matching grants helped 2,450 farmers adopt irrigation practices on 1,350 hectares, while development for additional 1,000 hectares is underway. By 2024, greenhouse farming has increased with 185 units installed, doubling yields for key crops.

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 Agro-Ecological and Climate Resilient Systems Project in Uruguay aims to strengthen the agricultural sector by enhancing climate resilience and promoting sustainable farming practices. The project provides matching grants and technical assistance to support the transition to agroecological production and improve livestock effluent management. So far, nearly 13,000 rural producers—25% of whom are women—have benefited from better climate data and agricultural technologies. Approximately 1.67 million hectares are now under sustainable management practices, and 770 producers have adopted improved technologies, contributing to a more resilient and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector.

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: Apr 04, 2025

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. 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 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: Oct 09, 2024