The Donor Platform’s Thematic Working Group on Sustainable/Blended Finance for Food Systems, in partnership with the Agri-SME Learning Collective (ASLC), announces the donor testing cohort for the Catalytic Capital Framework. These donors are key to testing the framework, offering real-world insights on deploying catalytic capital to drive meaningful change in the agri-SME sector.

International aid from official donors dropped by 7.1% in real terms in 2024, marking the first decline after five years of consecutive growth, according to preliminary data from the OECD.

Global food systems face a financing crisis, with an annual shortfall of up to $400 billion needed for transformation. Meanwhile, the hidden costs of food production—ranging from environmental damage to health impacts—amount to US$12 trillion each year. As donor priorities shift, can development aid be reimagined to build resilient, sustainable food systems? This article explores the path forward for development communities across the world.