Tracking Financial Flows
to Food Systems

A one-stop shop to track food systems financing

Why the 3FS?

Financing is the fuel for transforming the world’s food systems into more equitable, healthy, and sustainable ways of producing and consuming food.

At the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, strong global commitments were made to transform food systems. Yet, a critical question persists: where are investments going?

To close the evidence gap, we developed the 3FS – a framework that tracks financial flows across food systems.

What is the 3FS?

The 3FS is your gateway to understanding the Financial Flows to Food Systems, delivering actionable data to decision-makers.

By adopting a comprehensive system approach, it sheds light on financing trends for key food systems components, including agriculture, infrastructure, nutrition, climate, and social assistance. With intuitive visuals and reliable, comparable data over the years, the 3FS empowers decision-makers to assess financing trends and identify gaps effortlessly.

What is the key value of the 3FS?

Key questions
answered by the 3FS

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How much financing is allocated to food systems?

?

Which areas of the food system receive funding?

?

What is the source of government spending to food systems?

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What are the current gaps in financing to food systems?

?

Does financing to food systems align with existing priorities?

The 3FS tracks two sources of financing that drive food systems transformation

Domestic public financing

The 3FS draws on national executed budget data released annually by central governments, to track how much domestic public financing is directed toward food systems at the country level.

International development financing

Using the OECD’s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) Aid Activity database, which is updated annually, the 3FS tracks international development financing for food systems. It distinguishes between concessional and non-concessional contributions, as well as philanthropic investments.

The 3FS measures financial flows to food systems across

five key components

Agricultural development and value chains

Agricultural development and value chains

Agricultural development and value chains

Tracks public and private investments that drive agricultural productivity and efficiency, including:

  • Agricultural R&D & extension
  • Agricultural inputs & services
  • Integral Support for small holders
  • Agricultural/Livestock production and their value chain
  • Land & irrigation
  • Other food production & value chain services
  • Reduce food losses due to plant or animal disease
Infrastructure for food systems

Infrastructure for food systems

Infrastructure for food systems

Monitors investments in the systems that enable food production, processing, and transport, including:

  • Rural infrastructure: roads, electricity & communications
  • Urban and domestic infrastructure
  • Water & sanitation
  • Infrastructure for food transportation, processing, commercialization
  • Clean energy productions (solar, wind)
  • Clean transportation
  • Other non-agricultural activities in rural areas
Nutrition and health

Nutrition and health

Nutrition and health

Follows financing for better diets and nutrition outcomes through:

  • Nutrition education, guides, labeling and regulations
  • Basic child and maternal nutrition
  • Food fortification, diversification
  • Food safety
  • Non-communicable disease
Social assistance

Social assistance

including emergency food assistance

Social assistance

Covers social protection and humanitarian support related to food security, including:

  • Social assistance, food security programs & school lunches (including conditional and unconditional cash transfers, food, and in-kind transfers)
  • Emergency food assistance
  • Gender, youth, and minorities
Climate change and natural resources

Climate change and natural resources

Climate change and natural resources

Tracks financing for protecting and restoring the ecosystems that sustain food systems, including:

  • Climate change mitigation & adaptation
  • Environmental research
  • Forests, water & biodiversity conservation
  • Reforestation
  • Landscape preservation
  • Food and water waste reduction
  • Waste management

Find out more

The 3FS has been rolled out across the globe

Explore Countries

Questions?

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the framework to track FINANCIAL FLOWS TO FOOD SYSTEMS (3FS), please reach out to us at 3FS_Team@ifad.org

Contact Us

Required Citation: IFAD and the World Bank. 2024. 3FS Tracking Financial Flows to Food Systems


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