Global Agriculture and Food Security Program Announces New Grants to Fight Hunger and Poverty in FCV Countries

Originally published on the World Bank website.

December 16, 2019, WASHINGTON – The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), a fund that supports country-led efforts to fight hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, today announced that seven projects in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) will receive grants totaling $97.6 million. The new grants – to Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Yemen, and a joint project in the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu – will help each country achieve higher agricultural productivity, increased incomes, and improved food and nutrition security.

Germany is a firm supporter of GAFSP during this urgent time of rising hunger and climate change. GAFSP is a critical partner in the collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG2, by 2030, and to support countries to invest in more and better engagements in the agriculture sector. — Dr. Gerd Müller, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Launched in 2010, GAFSP delivers targeted financing for agricultural investments to strengthen resilient and sustainable agriculture systems in low-income countries, with an eye on preventing future crises. GAFSP funding supports technically sound, inclusive projects across the entire agriculture value chain to ensure a transformative impact on the economies, communities, and people involved.

Norway is pleased to support GAFSP and thereby increasing the funds available in the latest round of grants to countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence. With its holistic approach to fight hunger, malnutrition and poverty, GAFSP speaks to the core of Norwegian policies for international development and it ties in well with the Norwegian Government’s new action plan for sustainable food systems. — Mr. Dag-Inge Ulstein, the Norwegian Minister of International Development

This one-time Special Call for Proposals targeted FCV countries that are eligible for development assistance from the International Development Association (IDA) – the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries.  All 24 countries that were eligible for this Call submitted proposals.

The GAFSP Steering Committee allocated new funds to the following projects:

• In Afghanistan, GAFSP funds totaling $15 million will support the country’s efforts to rehabilitate and improve the efficacy of traditional water management systems and enhance sustainable and resilient livelihoods and nutrition among the most food insecure.
• In Central African Republic, $15.4 million in funding will sustainably improve the resilience, livelihoods, and incomes of vulnerable populations and rural communities in areas that are in an ongoing food security crisis.
• In Côte d’Ivoire, GAFSP funds totaling $12 million will contribute to improving food and nutrition security of smallholder farmers, women, and youth exposed to the effects of climate change.
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo, $15 million in GAFSP funding will improve social cohesion and community empowerment, develop nutrition-sensitive agriculture activities, and strengthen livelihoods and entrepreneurship in areas most affected by conflict and food insecurity.
• In the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, an investment of $12 million will support a multi-country project to improve food, nutrition, and water security and enhance livelihoods opportunities in the small island communities of these countries.
• In Liberia, GAFSP funds totaling $8.2 million will increase agricultural productivity and production of smallholder farmers, improve their market access and income, and strengthen the capacity of government institutions, farmers, and producer organizations.
• In Yemen, an additional $20 million in funding will support the ongoing project increasing agriculture productivity, market access, incomes of smallholder farmers, and promoting better diet and nutrition practices in areas that are most vulnerable to and worst hit by the humanitarian and food crisis.

The Steering Committee also approved three projects totaling $45 million in Burundi, The Gambia, and Haiti contingent on additional donor contributions to the fund and/or structural changes to the projects.

GAFSP is unique in that it takes an inclusive approach to governance, in which countries, civil society, the private sector, and donors all play key roles. Together, all partners understand that investing in farmers and their communities is the only solution to ending hunger and poverty. — Ibrahima Coulibaly, President of Agricultural Producers' Organizations of West Africa (ROPPA)

The successful proposals were selected through a competitive process by the fund’s Steering Committee, which is composed of an equal number of voting members from donor and recipient countries, as well as representatives from civil society organizations and other stakeholders in a non-voting capacity. The selections were based on recommendations from an independent review conducted by global agriculture experts. Successful proposals demonstrated a high level of need, an enabling policy environment, evidence of capacity to implement, and a comprehensive plan for agricultural development.

About GAFSP:

GAFSP is a demand-led and country-owned multilateral financing mechanism dedicated to fighting hunger, malnutrition, and poverty in low-income countries. GAFSP supports resilient and sustainable agriculture that benefits and empowers poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers by channeling additional financing through existing multilateral agencies. Since its inception, GAFSP has received contributions totaling $1.7 billion from Australia, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with funds going to countries that have strategic, innovative, and credible plans already in place to improve agricultural productivity and food security.