Launch of the SSNUP-IISD Case Studies on Agribusinesses’ Compliance With Responsible Agricultural Investment

Background

Investments in the agricultural and food sectors of developing countries can play a transformative role in disseminating new technologies, building markets, linking supply chains, generating employment, and increasing the income of smallholder farmers. 

To this end, agribusinesses and investors in the food and agriculture sector increasingly seek to ensure their activities generate positive social and environmental outcomes. This requires the implementation of responsible business practices in agribusinesses on the one hand and responsible investment strategies by the investors on the other hand.

IISD has partnered with the Smallholder Safety Net Up-Scaling Programme (SSNUP) to provide the private sector with detailed, context-specific evidence on good business practices for responsible investment and business conduct. We are launching five case studies that analyze how well investees of impact investors perform and comply with the Committee on World Food Security’s Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI).

The case studies are intended to provide agribusinesses with examples of how to implement concrete actions that result in positive outcomes for farmers, rural communities, local businesses, and other stakeholders.

About the Event 

Organized by Appui au Développement Autonome (ADA) and IISD, this webinar presented the main findings of the case studies and offered a platform for discussing how to encourage more agricultural value chain actors in developing countries to align their business practices with the internationally recognized CFS-RAI principles to make them attractive for impact investors.

This was followed by an interactive exchange with participants to explore options and opportunities for uptake and use of the case studies as a learning device to further responsible investment in agriculture by agribusinesses, industry associations, financial investors, and others.