Innovation and Knowledge for Investment (IK4I)
The Investment Centre provides a strong evidence-based voice on investment and finance solutions through its Innovation and Knowledge for Investment (IK4I) work.
By harnessing FAO’s technical expertise and leveraging partnerships with key financing and research institutions, the Centre fills critical knowledge gaps. It also shares the latest thinking and practical tools to support investment.
The growing body of investment knowledge products covers a wide range of topics – from scaling up agrifood investments for and by youth in Africa, to decarbonizing agrifood systems, among many others.
Latest stories
The potential of bioinputs for greener agrifood systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
17/06/2025
The Centre published Bioinputs: investment opportunities in Latin America. The report, part of FAO’s IK4I series, examines the economic viability, investment potential and social and environmental benefits of agricultural bioinputs in the region Agricultural bioinputs – products from plants, animals or microbes – are often used as supplements or natural alternatives to more synthetic agrochemicals.
Urban agriculture is experiencing a growth spurt
22/01/2025
Feeding our cities: How the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the movement of food in urban areas
02/12/2024
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way food is moved, sold and bought in urban areas worldwide – creating some new trends and accelerating others.
Why investing in climate-efficient agrifood systems infrastructure matters
20/11/2024
Latest publications
Annual Reviews
FAO Investment Centre – Annual review 2024
06/2025
FAO, through its Investment Centre, collaborates with countries and a growing network of financing and knowledge partners to provide investment and...
Annual Reviews
FAO Investment Centre - 2024 at a glance
06/2025
FAO is intensifying its efforts with financing partners to crowd in public and private investment for a more food-secure, resilient and sustainable...
Directions in Investment
Understanding commercial urban agriculture - An overview
01/2025
From 2021 through 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, University of Bologna, Wageningen University and Research, University...
Investment Briefs
Accessing finance to invest in agrifood - A review of experimental evidence
12/2024
This brief focuses on the impacts of finance access on farmers’ investments and how it can enable investments in farms and businesses. It examines experimental...
Building resilience in urban food logistics systems
11/2024
This report explores the transformative impact of recent global disruptions on urban food logistics. Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic...
Towards a new generation of climate-efficient agrifood systems infrastructure - Conceptual framework and analytical review
11/2024
This report aims to shed light on the need for greater and smarter investments in AFS infrastructure, and how they can contribute to global economic,...
Supporting development finance institutions financing private agrifood investments
11/2024
The Investment Centre acts as a bridge between countries and financing partners to create the enabling conditions for greater public and private investment...
Annual Reviews
FAO Investment Centre - 2023 at a glance
07/2024
FAO, through its Investment Centre, works with partners to provide tailored, scalable investment and finance solutions to help countries achieve better,...
Annual Reviews
FAO Investment Centre - Annual Review 2023
07/2024
The world’s agrifood systems need to become greener, healthier, more inclusive and more resilient. Investment is critical to that transition. FAO, through...
Investment Toolkits
Understanding microfinance interest rates in agrifood
07/2024
Interest rates have been a contentious issue in microfinance for many years. While higher interest rates for microloans are often justified by the underlying...
Directions in Investment
Bioinputs: Investment opportunities in Latin America
05/2024
Bioinputs are a vital element in the agroecological transitions and represent the entry point of production systems into highly demanding markets. They...
Country Investment Highlights
Can smallholder farmers in Honduras and Guatemala export deforestation-free coffee to the European Union?
05/2024
The new EU Regulation for Deforestation-Free Imports (EUDR) stipulates that by 2025, certain commodities may only be imported to the European Union...