FAO.org

A delegation of the FAO AgrInvest-Food Systems Project has attended the first National Agriculture Summit in Nairobi, organized by the Kenya private sector alliance (KEPSA) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries & Cooperatives together with other partners, on 26-27 February 2020.

The occasion represented the first joint mission between the FAO team leading the AgrInvest-Food Systems Project and its implementing partner, the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM). More information on the partnership agreement between the two organizations can be found here: http://www.fao.org/food-systems/news-events/news-detail/en/c/1273476/

The Summit aimed at bolstering commitments to leaving no one behind across the value chain, by addressing challenges related to agricultural production and market linkages, as well as conducive enabling environment for agriculture transformation in the country.
The event represented a key venue to present the AgrInvest-Food Systems Project and the work of FAO on promoting agricultural investments for sustainable food systems that are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to more than 400 high-level agriculture sector leaders. Participants included representatives from national and county governments, farmer organizations, research institutions, private sector, NGOs and development partners.

“FAO acts as a facilitator for building trust among parties, and as a provider of solutions identifying and promoting investment opportunities in food systems that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable”, pointed Massimo Pera, FAO Coordinator of the AgrInvest-Food Systems Project. “Addressing food systems constraints and reducing risks will be hugely catalytic in keeping private sector capital into circulation” added Mr. Pera.

During the event, two platforms were launched, namely the SDG Partnership Platform Window for SDG2 (Zero Hunger) and the Agricultural Sector Network (ASNET). As result of consultations between the Project delegation and Summit representatives, The SDG platform has the objective of leveraging some USD 4,5M investments in agriculture, 80 percent from the private sector, in line with the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy 2019-2019. Mr. Arif Neki, the Senior Advisor for UN Strategic Partnerships and Coordinator of the SDG Philanthropy Platform (SDGPP), has confirmed that AgrInvest will be used as one of the main vehicles for attracting investments.