Investing in the Future of Agrifood Systems: New directions for development finance

12 December 2025. Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the  Donor Platform brought together members, partners and experts to exchange knowledge, shape strategic priorities and collaborate on advancing sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Thr panellists were invited to collectively reflect on and develop approaches to financing for food systems in this unpredictable global context, under the theme: “Investing in the Future of Agrifood Systems: New Directions for Development Finance.”

Objectives:

• Identify catalytic financing approaches that enable donors and Public Development Banks (PDBs) to scale systemic transformation in food systems.
• Engage in an interactive, forward-looking dialogue on how to sustain and expand financing for food systems amid crises and declining development budgets.
• Collaborate across the thematic areas of rural youth employment and land governance in a joint session that connects insights and priorities across sectors.
• Assess the implications of major 2025 global events and platforms for the future of food systems finance and the collective donor agenda.

Welcome and Opening Remarks 

• Bruce Campbell, GDPRD co-Chair; Senior Policy Advisor, Food Systems Section, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and Focal Point, SDC Agriculture and Food Systems Network, Switzerland 
• Federica de Gaetano, GDPRD co-Chair; Food Security and Rural Development Expert, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) 
• Keynote Address - Prioritizing agrifood systems amid upheaval in development finance Alexander Müller, Founder and Managing Director, TMG Think Tank and former Deputy Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 

Donor Coordination and Multilateralism in Agrifood Systems Financing 

GDPRD High-Level Advisory Group and White Paper Aligning strategies and strengthening coherent agrifood financing mechanisms 

• Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries, Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission 
• Max von Bonsdorff, Chief Partnership Officer, Global and Multilateral Engagement, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 

High-Level Discussion Panel Evolving roles in a fragmented aid landscape

Navigating ODA reductions and financial reforms, expanding private sector engagement, and building effective collaborative financing mechanisms 

• Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist, FAO 
• Carlo Batori, Deputy Director-General, Directorate General for Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy 
• Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, GAIN 
• Alice Ruhweza, President, AGRA Tom Arnold, Chair, IARDC 
• Stefania Lenoci, World Bank Group Resident Representative to Italy

Catalysing Finance and Impact for Agrifood Systems

Strengthening coordination among private sector, development finance, and government actors at the country level

• Tim Diphoorn, One Acre Fund
• Rodrigo Madrazo, CEO, EDFI Management Company
• Songbae Lee, Independent Advisor and former Agricultural Finance Team Lead, USAID
• Ambassador Khusrav Noziri, Assistant Director General, Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS)
• Alexandre Rutikanga, Chief Technical Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Republic of Rwanda; UN Food Systems Member State National Dialogue Convenor

The Future of Youth in Agrifood Systems

Joint session by the Land and Rural Youth Working Groups

• Ward Anseeuw, FAO
• Elisabetta Cangelosi, Gender Justice Advisor, International Land Coalition (ILC)
• Evance Ochola, YPARD / Nutrika / YGAK
• John F. Kelvin, Fellow of the International Land Coalition young leadership program
• Marcos Montoiro, UNCCD

Multilateral and Geopolitical Dynamics of Agrifood Systems Financing

Outcomes from 2025: Key policy developments, summit commitments, and financing trends

Priorities for 2026

• Nikita Eriksen-Hamel, Global Affairs Canad
• Anas A. Al-Nabulsi, CFS Chair
• Sandra Bartelt, Principal Adviser for G7 and G20 Sustainable Development Agendas, European Commission, Directorate-General for International Partnerships
• Clara Albergaria Pacheco, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Closing Session

• Maurizio Navarra, Senior Partnership Officer/GDPRD Secretariat Coordinator
• Jim Woodhill, GDPRD
• Bruce Campbell, GDPRD
• Federica de Gaetano, GDPRD