The second-year impact report of the Food Securities Fund was approved by the fund investors on Friday, alongside the 2022 audited accounts. This report demonstrates Clarmondial’s and the Food Securities Fund’s continued progress and commitment to mobilizing private capital for sustainable value chains and landscapes in emerging and developing markets. The report includes the Article 9 disclosure requirements under the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Reporting Directive (SFDR).
In 2022, the Fund’s borrowers made significant contributions to supply chain sustainability initiatives, in response to corporate commitments on nature, climate and livelihood, driven by targets under the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), among others.
The Fund’s borrowers:
- Supported over 65’700 smallholder farmers operating on more than 40’000 hectares across Sub-Saharan Africa, including through trainings on climate-smart and regenerative agriculture practices, biodiversity conservation, soil health, certification, farmer livelihood diversification, agroforestry, and women’s economic empowerment.
- Employed close to 1’000 people, including more than 300 women and nearly 400 youth.*
- Distributed over 300’000 local and indigenous tree seedlings to support reforestation efforts, and over 1 million cash crop seedlings (including coffee, cashew, and cocoa).
- Implemented Nature based Solutions in sourcing landscapes, through which an estimated 2’770 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) were removed.
The Fund took on additional capital from private investors, which allowed it to partner with further leading agriculture companies and expand its borrower base.
Through its innovative blended finance approach, the Food Securities Fund continues to leverage demand in emerging and developing markets for appropriate and timely working capital to implement sustainable sourcing commitments.
* 30 years old and younger.