MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Wednesday it had been tasked to lead the Food Systems Integrated Program worth $230 million alongside the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to promote projects contributing to global food security and supporting countries in transformation of their agrifood systems.�
"The program will direct an estimated $230 million - to be complemented by additional co-financing - in project grants to support countries to transform their agrifood systems to be more sustainable and to deliver global environmental benefits in conserving biodiversity, combating land degradation, mitigating and adapting to climate change and contributing to national food security," the press release read.
According to FAO, the decision to mandate the organization to lead the program was made at the 63rd Council Meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The Food Systems Integrated Program is the second largest program among GEF's 11 integrated programs for 2022-2026. The program will aim at promoting "sustainable nature-positive" production systems across the globe, according to FAO.
"As populations grow and diets improve, we must transform our agrifood systems to supply more people with healthier and nutritious food, while conserving and restoring our ecosystems and natural resources," FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in a statement.
Both FAO and IFAD are implementing agencies of the GEF, which is a partnership of 18 agencies and 183 countries seeking to resolve challenging global environmental issues by providing grants to different actors. Since the GEF was launched in 1991, it has provided over $22 billion in grants to tackle climate problems.
