LCIF and World Food Program launch joint initiative to support school meals
The dairy sector has an important role to play in food systems transformation
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has signed a new partnership agreement with Rabobank, a Dutch cooperative bank, with the intention of helping targeted rural communities benefit from more inclusive, sustainable food systems.
It also envisages jointly exploring the use of innovative financial instruments to bridge financing gaps in emerging markets and to promote sustainability in food systems investments.
The collaboration will begin with a review of the dairy sector in two pilot countries, India and Kenya, with a view to reducing food losses in the sector and promoting a transition to more sustainable food systems.
The dairy sector has an important role to play in food systems transformation, as it contributes to food security and nutrition and provides livelihoods for a number of actors along the food value chain. Though dairy production also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, it holds huge potential for improvement.
The projects undertaken in the context of the partnership will support FAO’s Hand-in-Hand initiative, which matches donors and recipients to support tailor-made, country-led efforts to assist the most vulnerable populations. The private sector is a key partner in the initiative, and Rabobank, as a global leader in food and agriculture financing and sustainability-oriented banking, is well-placed to assist in designing such interventions.