Financing Food Systems Transformation

Agrifood systems are at the heart of today’s environmental, social, and health challenges—but turning the ambition of food systems transformation into concrete and bankable action remains complex. This project supports that shift by developing a comprehensive conceptual and financial cooperation framework, outlining how development finance can effectively drive systemic change in agrifood systems.Commissioned by KfW Development Bank, the project was implemented by TMG in collaboration with the strategic consultancy joyn-coop. It provides strategic orientation for KfW’s current and future engagement in food systems transformation within German development cooperation and in coordination with international partners. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) under the Studien- und Beratungsfonds.From October 2024 to November 2025, the project combined literature and discourse analysis, peer analysis of 24 international development and finance institutions, private banks, NGOs, and philanthropic actors, expert interviews, and intensive co-creation with KfW. The result is a Financial Cooperation Concept for Food Systems Transformation, complemented by practical guidance documents on partners, financing instruments, and thematic entry points such as land rights. The findings inform both KfW’s Financial Cooperation Future Process and BMZ’s broader reform agenda, contributing to a stronger, more coherent approach to financing sustainable food systems. By linking strategic vision with operational guidance, the project identifies concrete financing pathways that support the policy ambition of food systems transformation.