The Global Response to Foreign Investment in Agriculture Investment in Agriculture

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the global and regional policy and financial responses to the surge in foreign investment in agricultural land and water following the 2008 food crisis. It details various voluntary guidelines, principles, and financing mechanisms designed to ensure that large-scale investments are transparent, respect land rights, and contribute to food security and rural development.

• The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is the primary intergovernmental body leading the global response. Its 2012 Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests aim to support tenure rights and equitable access regardless of formal recognition. In 2012, the CFS also began developing the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment in the Context of National Food Security and Nutrition (rai), which were expected for endorsement in October 2014.
• Africa has developed its own regional response through the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (Land Policy Initiative), adopted by African Heads of State in 2009. Managed by the African Union, the African Development Bank, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the initiative focuses on inclusive processes to secure land rights and plans to establish a continent-wide online land observatory.
• Several international organizations have launched specific frameworks: the World Bank, FAO, IFAD, and UNCTAD created the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment (PRAI) in 2009; the OECD developed a Policy Framework For Investment in Agriculture to help governments mobilize private investment; and Professor John Ruggie drafted Principles for Responsible Contracts in 2011 to integrate human rights into investment agreements, specifically challenging broad stabilization clauses.
• Private sector responses include the 2011 Farmland Principles, developed by financial investors to guide responsible farmland investment. Other industry-driven standards, such as the Equator Principles and the Better Sugar Initiative, are noted as effective tools for pressuring companies to improve standards through public shaming when international standards are violated.
• Three major financing initiatives have been established to support small-scale farmers: the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (launched by the US in 2012), Grow Africa (convened by the African Union Commission, NEPAD, and the World Economic Forum), and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), established by the G20 in 2010.
• The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition has faced significant criticism from the UN special rapporteur on the right to food and Oxfam, with claims that promises to investors were made without the participation of smallholder farmers and that policy reforms were designed for the private sector rather than farmer needs.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). The Global Response to Foreign Investment in Agriculture Investment in Agriculture. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_en.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. The Global Response to Foreign Investment in Agriculture Investment in Agriculture. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=The Global Response to Foreign Investment in Agriculture Investment in Agriculture |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndglobal, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{The Global Response to Foreign Investment in Agriculture Investment in Agriculture}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global_response_foreign_investment_ag_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }