IFC launches $6b financing facility to build resilient food systems, address global food crisis

Responding to surging levels of food insecurity, IFC (International Finance Corporation) has launched a new $6 billion financing facility to strengthen the private sector's ability to respond to the crisis and help support food production.

The war in Ukraine and uneven global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic have added to rising levels of hunger and malnourishment, which already have been worsened by climate change and increasingly severe weather events that are damaging harvests and reducing yields.

A core part of the financing, which will be provided through the new Global Food Security Platform (the platform), will support sustainable production and delivery of food stocks to countries affected by food instability, reads a press release issued in this regard.

Support will be aimed at facilitating trade of food commodities, delivery of inputs to farmers, supporting efficient production in major origins, including Ukraine, and effective distribution of food products in destination countries.

Financing will also focus on long-term actions to improve the resilience of the global food system and lessen its climate and ecological footprint. This includes investing in increasing efficient crop production, improving access to fertilisers, greening fertiliser production and use, reducing crop loss and food waste, improving supply chain efficiency, and mitigating infrastructure bottlenecks.

The $6 billion will be used to support private sector companies along the food value chain by leveraging IFC's sectoral expertise in agribusiness, manufacturing, infrastructure, and technology, as well as the financial sector and trade finance.

"The private sector has an essential role to play in alleviating food insecurity and in creating lasting solutions. By strengthening supply chains and ensuring that people have access to and can grow affordable food, this initiative will contribute to building resilient food systems in the most vulnerable regions," said IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop.

The Platform will supplement the World Bank's commitment of US$30 billion in response to the food crisis. IFC is also stepping up engagements with other partners, including development finance institutions, foundations, banks as well as a range of private companies, in order to mobilise collective action to address global food security challenges.

IFC -- a member of the World Bank Group -- is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2022, IFC committed a record $32.8 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises. For more information, visit -- www.ifc.org.