GASFP'S APPROACH - Taking a chance on projects that other commercial investors have passed is what GAFSP’s Private Sector Window does best: investing across the entire food supply chain from farm inputs to logistics and storage, to processing and financing. We use blended finance solutions and the IFC’s expertise and knowledge to support projects in the agricultural sector which may not attract commercial funding due to perceived high risks in the sector. GAFSP funding is co-invested alongside IFC funding but we take it one step further: addressing market failures by providing affordable funding with less demanding terms. This allows us to invest in early stage or riskier projects that hold high potential for development impact and financial sustainability. That means that we can partner with companies who include farmers as part of their overall value chain, providing access to markets, financing and storage, and increasing production and incomes for those living and working in the world’s lowest income countries. We also help to raise capacity building with our advisory services, providing on-the-ground training and advice for businesses and farmers in improving farmer productivity, strengthening standards, reducing risks and mitigating climate change effects.

One out of every seven people on planet earth go to sleep hungry. People are suffering due to overpopulation. 25,000 people die of malnutrition and hunger related diseases everyday.

While drought and other naturally occurring events may trigger famine conditions, it is government action or inaction that determines its severity, and often whether or not a famine will occur.

The WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal in mind of eliminating the need for food aid itself. to this end Food Security is an essential element, without which there would be no food surplus from one geographical region, to redistribute to another.

The objectives that the WFP hope to achieve are to:

1. "Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies"
2. "Support food security and nutrition and (re)build livelihoods in fragile settings and following emergencies"
3. "Reduce risk and enable people, communities and countries to meet their own food and nutrition needs"
4. "Reduce under-nutrition and break the inter-generational cycle of hunger"
5. "Zero Hunger in 2030"

These objectives should take into account the variable threats A - D below.

A - Fossil fuel dependence

While agricultural output has increased, energy consumption to produce a crop has also increased at a greater rate, so that the ratio of crops produced to energy input has decreased over time. Green Revolution techniques also heavily rely on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, many of which are petroleum products, making agriculture increasingly reliant on petroleum.

Between 1950 and 1984, as the Green Revolution transformed agriculture around the globe, world grain production increased by 250%. The energy for the Green Revolution was provided by fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers (natural gas), pesticides (oil), and hydrocarbon fueled irrigation.

David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell University, and Mario Giampietro, senior researcher at the National Research Institute on Food and Nutrition (NRIFN), place in their study Food, Land, Population and the U.S. Economy the maximum U.S. population for a sustainable economy at 210 million. To achieve a sustainable economy and avert disaster, the United States must reduce its population by at least one-third, and world population will have to be reduced by two-thirds, says the study.

The authors of this study believe that the mentioned agricultural crisis will only begin to affect us after 2020, and will not become critical until 2050. The oncoming peaking of global oil production (and subsequent decline of production), along with the peak of North American natural gas production will very likely precipitate this agricultural crisis much sooner than expected. Geologist Dale Allen Pfeiffer claims that coming decades could see spiraling food prices without relief and massive starvation on a global level such as never experienced before.

B - Land use change

China needs not less than 120 million hectares of arable land for its food security. China has recently reported a surplus of 15 million hectares. On the other side of the coin, some 4 million hectares of conversion to urban use and 3 million hectares of contaminated land have been reported as well. Furthermore, a survey found that 2.5% of China's arable land is too contaminated to grow food without harm.

In Europe, the conversion of agricultural soil implied a net loss of potential. But the rapid loss in the area of arable soils appears to be economically meaningless because EU is perceived to be dependent on internal food supply anymore. During the period 2000–2006 the European Union lost 0.27% of its cropland and 0.26% of its crop productive potential. The loss of agricultural land during the same time was the highest in the Netherlands, which lost 1.57% of its crop production potential within six years. The figures are quite alarming for Cyprus (0.84%), Ireland (0.77%) and Spain (0.49%) as well.

In Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna plain (ERP), the conversion of 15,000 hectare of agricultural soil (period 2003-2008) implied a net loss of 109,000 Mg per year of wheat, which accounts for the calories needed by 14% of ERP population (425,000 people). Such a loss in wheat production is just 0.02% of gross domestic product (GDP) of the Emilia-Romagna region, which is actually a minor effect in financial terms. Additionally, the income from the new land use is often much higher than the one guaranteed by agriculture, as in the case of urbanisation or extraction of raw materials.

C - Climate Change

“Results show that climate change is likely to reduce agricultural production, thus reducing food availability” (Brown etal., 2008.) “The food security threat posed by climate change is greatest for Africa, where agricultural yields and per capita food production has been steadily declining, and where population growth will double the demand for food, water, and livestock forage in the next 30 years” (Devereux et al., 2004).

In 2060, the hungry population could range from 641 million to 2087 million with climate change (Chen et al., 1994). By the year 2030, Cereal crops will decrease from 15 to 19 percent, temperatures are estimated to rise from 1 degrees Celsius to 2. 75 degrees Celsius, which will lead to less rainfall, which will all result in an increase in food insecurity in 2030 (Devereux etal, 2004). In prediction farming countries will be the worst sectors hit, hot countries and drought countries will reach even higher temperatures and richer countries will be hit the least as they have more access to more resources (Devereux et al. 2004). 

D - Water Crisis

Water deficits, which are already spurring heavy grain imports in numerous smaller countries, may soon do the same in larger countries, such as China or India. The water tables are falling in scores of countries (including northern China, the US, and India) due to widespread over pumping using powerful diesel and electric pumps. Other countries affected include Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. This will eventually lead to water scarcity and cutbacks in grain harvest. Even with the over pumping of its aquifers, China is developing a grain deficit. When this happens, it will almost certainly drive grain prices upward.

Most of the 3 billion people projected to be born worldwide by mid-century will be born in countries already experiencing water shortages. After China and India, there is a second tier of smaller countries with large water deficits – Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, and Pakistan. Four of these already import a large share of their grain. Only Pakistan remains self-sufficient. But with a population expanding by 4 million a year, it will likely soon turn to the world market for grain.

THE BLUE SAFETY NET

Where A - D constitute serious threats to Food Security, there has been a move to develop the Blue Economy, with Aquaculture leading the short term boost of fish production despite the fact that fish-meal is used to feed farmed fish, leading to a loss of conversion efficiency.

One of the longer term threats to fisheries, is plastic in our oceans laden with toxins that pose a major threat to the sea as being a safety net to provide a protein boost for around 30% of the planet.

This in turn threatens some of the most vulnerable coastal communities that depend on fishing for food.

SPECIAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR FRAGILE & CONFLICT AFFECTED COUNTRIES

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) Steering Committee is currently accepting proposals for grant funding for new projects under the Public Sector Window. The GAFSP Steering Committee expects to allocate a total of US$100 million to the four to seven highest-ranked proposals. The full announcement is available in English and French. This Special Call for Proposals is limited to countries in fragile and conflict-affected situations that are also IDA-only and not in non-accrual status in an effort to address the underfunding of such countries to date.

Proposal Submission

The Steering Committee intends to make allocation decisions by the beginning of December 2019. Proposals must be submitted electronically by 11:59pm, September 10, 2019 (Washington, D.C. time) to the GAFSP Coordination Unit, using the following email address: gafsp-info@gafspfund.org.

All submitted documents should be in either Microsoft Word, Excel, or in PDF format. The updated Country Guidelines (version: March 1, 2019) are the principal reference and provide a clear guide for country submissions. They are available in English and French. All proposals must follow the proposal submission form and must be submitted in English. While GAFSP has created an unofficial version of this form in French to serve as a working guide, the final submission must be in English only

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. Are there any requirements for co-financing, blending in other sources of funding, or working with existing projects?

A. No. The GAFSP Steering Committee will review all project types that are aligned with the country guidelines, including new standalone projects, funding for larger projects, and funding for projects that expand on existing work.

Q. What languages can applicants use to submit their files? 

English is the operational language of GAFSP, thus submissions are expected in English. While the GAFSP proposals are always required to be in English, supporting documents may be submitted in French. In exceptional cases, the Steering Committee may allow countries to submit supporting documents such as the full strategy and investment plan in other major languages. For planned submissions in other major languages, please contact the GAFSP Coordination Unit (CU) at gafsp-info@gafspfund.org prior to submission.

Specific Questions regarding the proposal:

Q. For African Countries that have completed a National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP), are they expected to summarize the closed NAIP or is the application only concerned with an ongoing NAIP?
A. Countries should summarize implementation performance under the current NAIP if one exists, or to summarise performance under their most recent one if they are ‘in between’ or have not finalised a new NAIP. 

Q. Is there an indicative or expected length for the proposal in terms of number of pages or words? 
A. There is no indicative or expected length for the proposal. In previous Calls for Proposals, the proposals were generally 15-25 pages long with the specific proposal for GAFSP Funding (Part 2) being the bulk of the proposal with approximately 10-15 pages. 

Q. How many applications can each country submit?
A. Countries may submit only one final proposal by the Special Call deadline.

Q. What countries are eligible for funding?
A.This Special Call is targeting countries in fragile and conflict-affected situations that are also IDA-only and not in non-accrual status.

The following 24 countries are eligible for funding:

Africa (14 countries) 

Burundi, CAR, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, The Gambia

Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, South Sudan, Togo

East Asia and the Pacific (6 countries) 

Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, FS
Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu

Eastern Europe (1 country) Kosovo
Latin America & the Caribbean (1 country) Haiti
Middle East and North Africa (1 country) Yemen
South Asia (1 country) Afghanistan

SOLOMON ISLANDS - Increased food security

Located in the South Pacific region, the Solomon Islands’ - a fragile situation country made more vulnerable through the effects of climate change - ranks among the poorest of the world. With 30 percent unemployment, and only a small role for large-scale agriculture given the scarcity of large areas of flat land, the nation depends heavily on its vibrant fisheries sector as a sustainable source of economic growth. The tuna industry accounts for 18% of the country’s GDP.

Supporting a more productive and resilient fisheries sector in the Solomon Islands’ has the potential to sustain livelihoods, improve nutrition, and increase government tax revenues; and long term, is expected to contribute to the security and equity of the country.

In 2017, IFC and GAFSP made an investment of $10 million to National Fisheries Developments Ltd (NFD) to support sustainable tuna production and employment in Solomon Islands. The new financing will help fund the purchase of new fishing vessels and ensure maintenance of the existing fishing fleet. IFC will also provide advisory services to promote best practices in environmental and social risk management.

The investment consists of a blended finance package of up to US $30 million for NFD, consisting of support from each IFC and GAFSP of US $15 million each. The funding will be made across three separate $10 million commitments and disbursements, the first of which was made in 2017, and will allow the purchase of up to three new fishing vessels and to expand NFD’s capacity by nearly 70%.

This project will create new jobs, especially for women, in the Solomon Islands. The addition of the new fishing vessel, which has already been purchased, will increase NFD’s catch volume by some 8,000 metric tons per year and will require 30 fishermen to operate the vessel. The increased processing throughput downstream at SolTuna, a tuna processor and NFD sister company at the same premises, will require about 200 new staff, mostly female. Considering the lack of private sector employment opportunities in Solomon Islands, this job creation at both companies is an important factor that will impact the local community. The additional two fishing vessels, planned to be purchased in FY18, are expected to have a similar impact on catch volume, processing throughput and job creation at NFD and SolTuna.

Approximately 10-15% of NFD’s catch is used for domestic consumption. The additional tuna catch volume will be absorbed by the domestic market for consumption, either fueling more protein intake or replacing more expensive protein sources. In addition, local farmers and their families will be included in NFD & SolTuna’s internal supply chains as both companies will source agricultural produce and food products locally for their employees.

CONTACTS

Niraj H Shah, nshah1@ifc.org

Bheeshm Chaudhary, bchaudhary@ifc.org

Lina Tolvaisaite, ltolvaisaite@ifc.org

Philipp Farenholtz, pfarenholtz@ifc.org

Public Sector Media Contact
Ms. Kimberly Parent

Communications Officer
GAFSP Public Sector Window
kparent@worldbankgroup.org

Based in Washington, D.C.
Private Sector Media Contact
Ms. Caitriona Palmer 

Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist 
GAFSP Private Sector Window
cpalmer1@ifc.org

Based in Washington, D.C.
Tel: 202 473 3743

Tatiana Bogatyreva - Global Manager, Agribusiness & Forestry
Regional Manager, Europe, Middle East & North Africa
Based in Moscow, Russia
Email: tbogatyreva@ifc.org

Jose Masjuan - Acting Regional Manager, Latin America & the Caribbean
Based in Washington, D.C.
Email: jmasjuan@ifc.org

Samuel Dzotefe - Regional Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa
Email: sdzotefe@ifc.org

Prasad Gopalan - Regional Manager, Asia & the Pacific
Based in Singapore
Email: pgopalan@ifc.org

THE PROVIDER - Planet Earth is all we have. We used to take it for granted that it would provide for us and the we were free to exploit it without limits. We now know that human activity is changing the climate and destroying our oceans. This is turn threatens Food Security.

THE FAO: FOOD & AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO; French: Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture, Italian: Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate arguments and debate policy.

FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all. Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates as "let there be bread". As of May 2017, FAO has 197 member states, along with the European Union (a "member organization"), and the Faroe Islands and Tokelau, which are associate members.

The FAO has not yet evaluated the potential of SeaVax as a tool to keep our fisheries in better health than they are at present.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 2018

World Food Program USA

World Food Program USA, before 2010 known as Friends of the World Food Program, works to solve global hunger, building a world where everyone has the food and nutrition needed to lead healthy, productive lives. WFP USA raises support for these efforts in the United States by engaging individuals, organizations and businesses, shaping public policy and generating resources for WFP.