Agriculture

At DFI, we help commercial stakeholders and nonprofits engage with countries and the IFIs to develop partnerships that support goals such as raising farmer incomes, diversifying production, and improving food security.

Our approach works to build sustainable supply chains, integrate smallholders into client value chains, and broaden impact beyond the agriculture sector, while furthering business outcomes.

Global agriculture, food security, storage, processing, and related livelihoods face numerous challenges, among them rising populations, resource scarcity, and climate change.   In challenge lies opportunity: the UN’s Business and Sustainable Development Commission estimates a commercial opportunity of $1.5 Trillion annually in developing countries across the food and agriculture sectors by 2030.

Importantly, achieving the food-related Sustainable Development Goals could result in 71 million jobs in the agriculture sector - 58 million of which will be in Africa, India, and South East Asia.

Examples of our work include:

  • Integrate smallholder farmers into supply chains (value added processing, commercialization)
  • Promote best practices / GAP training
  • Build awareness of new technologies
  • Reduce post-harvest losses
  • Promote the production of fortified / more nutritious crops
  • Introduce sustainable landscape management
  • Register new products
  • Secure grant funding to train smallholder farmers
  • Improve livestock production

Examples of Our Work in Agriculture