Ending Hunger, Increasing Incomes, and Protecting the Climate: What would it cost donors?

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) estimates the public spending required to end hunger, double the incomes of small-scale producers, and maintain agricultural greenhouse gas emissions within Paris Agreement limits by 2030. It identifies a significant funding gap, requiring both an increase in official development assistance (ODA) and higher domestic taxation in low- and middle-income countries.

• To achieve the goals of ending hunger and doubling small-scale producer incomes by 2030 while adhering to Paris Agreement greenhouse gas emission limits, donors must provide an additional USD 14 billion per year. This represents a doubling of current donor spending on food security and nutrition, which averages USD 12 billion annually.
• Donor aid alone is insufficient to meet the targets; low- and middle-income countries must contribute an average of USD 19 billion per year through increased taxation.
• The combined additional public investment of USD 33 billion per year is estimated to prevent 490 million people from experiencing hunger and double the incomes of 545 million small-scale producers on average. Furthermore, this spending is expected to trigger an average of USD 52 billion in additional annual private investment in primary and processed food sectors.
• The report emphasizes that Africa is the region with the most urgent need for resources, as it is expected to have the highest concentration of the global undernourished population by 2030. Two-thirds of the required additional public spending is needed in Africa.
• The proposed investment strategy relies on a balanced portfolio of 14 policy instruments divided into three categories: 'Empower the Excluded' (e.g., social safety nets and vocational training), 'On the Farm' (e.g., R&D, fertilizer subsidies, and irrigation), and 'Food on the Move' (e.g., roads and storage to reduce post-harvest losses).
• The timing of investments is critical; early spending on interventions with long lag times but high returns, such as research and development (R&D), is prioritized to maximize payoffs by 2030.

APA

Laborde, D., Parent, M., & Smaller, C. (2020). Ending Hunger, Increasing Incomes, and Protecting the Climate: What would it cost donors? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://ceres2030.iisd.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ceres2030-what-would-it-cost_.pdf

Chicago

Laborde, David, Marie Parent, and Carin Smaller. Ending Hunger, Increasing Incomes, and Protecting the Climate: What would it cost donors? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://ceres2030.iisd.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ceres2030-what-would-it-cost_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Laborde |first1=David |last2=Parent |first2=Marie |last3=Smaller |first3=Carin |title=Ending Hunger, Increasing Incomes, and Protecting the Climate: What would it cost donors? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2020 |url=https://ceres2030.iisd.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ceres2030-what-would-it-cost_.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{laborde2020ending, author = {Laborde, David and Parent, Marie and Smaller, Carin}, title = {{Ending Hunger, Increasing Incomes, and Protecting the Climate: What would it cost donors?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, url = {https://ceres2030.iisd.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ceres2030-what-would-it-cost_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }