The Triple Gap in Finance for Agrifood Systems

This report identifies a 'triple gap' in planning, finance, and data for global agrifood systems. Despite these systems contributing one-third of global GHG emissions, they received less than 5% of total global climate finance (USD 28.5 billion annually) in 2019/20. Using top-down and bottom-up methodologies, the analysis reveals significant underestimations of funding needs by national governments and a general shortfall in global investment required to meet 1.5°C targets by 2050.

• Agrifood systems are a major driver of environmental degradation, accounting for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and are the primary source of methane, nitrous oxide, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and freshwater consumption. These systems are simultaneously vulnerable to climate-driven events such as floods, storms, droughts, and rising temperatures, which disrupt supply chains and reduce productivity.
• There is a significant shortfall in climate finance for agrifood systems; annual average funding reached USD 28.5 billion, representing less than 5% of total global climate finance tracked during 2019/20.
• The report identifies a 'triple gap' in planning, finance, and data by comparing two estimation methods: a 'top-down' approach focused on limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050, and a 'bottom-up' approach based on national climate targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This comparison highlights both global finance shortfalls and the tendency of governments to underestimate their own national funding needs.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2024). The Triple Gap in Finance for Agrifood Systems. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-triple-gap-in-finance-for-agrifood-systems/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. The Triple Gap in Finance for Agrifood Systems. 2024. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-triple-gap-in-finance-for-agrifood-systems/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=The Triple Gap in Finance for Agrifood Systems |date=19 November 2024 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-triple-gap-in-finance-for-agrifood-systems/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2024triple, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{The Triple Gap in Finance for Agrifood Systems}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-triple-gap-in-finance-for-agrifood-systems/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }