By Tanja Havemann, Christine Negra, David LeZaks, and Jos Lemmens   In April 2019, the report “Environmental Impact Reporting in Agriculture (EIRA): Creating a link between agricultural investments and environmental impact” put forward a collaborative roadmap toward dynamic, globally-relevant benchmarking of environmental impacts in agriculture. Recognizing that the growing number of sustainable agricultural investment initiatives…

The Food Securities Fund was one of the three Non-Grant Instruments (NGI) approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council in December 2019. The global emerging markets fund, which starts with a focus on Sub Saharan Africa, was deemed to be well-aligned with GEF focal areas, including on land degradation, biodiversity, and climate change mitigation….

Supported by the MAVA Foundation, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Clarmondial have initiated the Lead Project to address sustainability challenges in West African fisheries. In partnership with government and industry bodies, 8 fisheries in Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia and Cape Verde have been identified for an initial sustainability assessment under the MSC’s framework, and…

Nespresso a winner of the GEF Challenge Program for Adaptation Innovation. Seed funding to support coral reef insurance, supply-chain resilience, and other climate risk remedies for entrepreneurs, food producers, cities, local communities. Nespresso were among the winners of the Global Environment Facility’s inaugural Challenge Program for Adaptation Innovation, a new competition supporting private sector remedies…

Clarmondial is pleased to announce the launch of the Impact Advisory Board in relation to the Food Securities Fund. The Impact Advisory Board will provide regular input to Clarmondial on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters related to the Food Securities Fund, its strategy, policies and investments. The Impact Advisory Board is composed by accomplished…

Pathway to better environmental impact reporting in agriculture outlined in new report The agriculture sector faces increasing environmental risks related to climate change and resource degradation. With appropriate information, investors, asset managers, and corporate decision makers can direct capital toward agricultural operations with better environmental performance and lower risks. However, many important types of environmental…

Clarmondial is pleased to announce that Lombard Odier, a leading Swiss bank established in 1796, has confirmed its commitment to invest in the Food Securities Fund through its Impact Investing fund of funds: LO Gateway Development Finance. The bank’s asset management division has allocated an undisclosed amount to the fund. Guillaume Bonnel, Head of Impact…

At Clarmondial, we are working on scalable initiatives to better finance responsible sourcing and production. We believe that many of the issues that result in mismanagement of plastics are similar to those in agricultural supply chains, including poor data, loose supply chains and inadequate procurement structures. We are excited that the pressing issue of plastic…

Clarmondial is pleased to confirm that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Bureau for Food Security (BFS) and the Development Credit Authority (DCA), will support the Food Securities Fund with a USD 37.5 million credit guarantee. The agreement covers a portfolio of up to USD 150 million. After extensive due diligence,…

  (pdf file available here) Agriculture has a major impact on the planet. The sector currently accounts for almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, 70 per cent of fresh water use and three-quarters of deforestation. Agriculture’s impact is set to increase over coming decades, with experts suggesting that a 60 per cent increase…