Responsible Investment in Agriculture
IISD's work on responsible agricultural investment focuses on aligning investment practices with sustainability goals, fostering ethical and environmentally conscious investments, and promoting inclusive dialogue among diverse stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
Agriculture and food systems have been hit hard by an onslaught of crises in the last 5 years. As millions more people face hunger and malnutrition, responsible investment in agriculture is more critical than ever.
IISD aims to align investment practices with sustainable development goals by promoting fair, environmentally responsible investments that spur economic growth in developing countries. We provide research and tools for governments and private sector actors and foster inclusive dialogue to promote responsible investments that help global food systems get back on track.
To help achieve these objectives, IISD has recently developed the IISD Model Contract Clauses for Responsible Investment in Agriculture. These customizable legal provisions are designed to help agricultural investment negotiators, state lawyers, and policy-makers design responsible and effective investment contracts that supplement gaps in domestic laws. They build upon and update the earlier IISD Guide to Negotiating Investment Contracts for Farmland and Water.
Since 2014, there has been a growing body of international and regional guidance on ensuring responsible, equitable, and sustainable investment contracts, particularly for land-based agricultural investments. The IISD Model Contract Clauses aim to distill this guidance into a user-friendly set of customizable contract provisions. When applied, these provisions can complement national laws, address project-specific concerns, and give the guidance legal effect. They are also designed to reinforce gender equity and promote a just and equitable transition toward more climate-resilient production practices.
Tools and support
The IISD Model Contract Clauses for Responsible Investment in Agriculture
Customizable legal provisions to help implement international best practices, principles, and guidance on responsible agricultural investment.
Advisory and Capacity Development Services on Legal and Policy Frameworks for Responsible Agriculture Investment
We advise and support governments in the drafting of model contracts in various sectors, including large-scale farmland investments, agricultural investment laws, legal frameworks for agricultural growth poles and zones, policies for attracting foreign direct investment in agriculture, contract farming templates and laws, and market opportunities for voluntary sustainability standards.
Model Agreement for Responsible Contract Farming
Offering a simple and practical legal tool for buyers and producers to improve their business relations and to help make responsible agricultural investment a reality.
The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry
The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry were prepared for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and were adopted in October 2018 by ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) during their annual meeting, held that year in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Working With Parliamentarians on Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems
Through their legislative, oversight, and representative functions, parliamentarians hold a strategic position: they can inform political and legislative agendas with the purpose of fostering change on the ground.
Ensuring Responsible and Sustainable Agricultural Practices by Assessing Agribusinesses’ Compliance With the CFS-RAI
This project incorporates a series of case studies focused on agriculture investments and their compliance with the Committee on World Food Security’s Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) and the development of a new RAI scoring tool.
Research and publications
Best Practices Bulletins: Legal tools for responsible investment in agriculture
In this best practices series, IISD analyzes key legal and policy issues arising from the legal tools used by states to govern responsible investment in agriculture and food systems, with a particular focus on developing country and sustainable development perspectives.
Food and Agriculture: Emerging Policy Issues
Emerging issues policy briefs is a series produced by the IISD Agriculture, Trade & Investment Team. The series highlights and explains emerging issues that affect the resilience and sustainability of food and agriculture systems, particularly in developing countries.
Stories of Change
Through these publications, IISD aims to share the stories of changemakers in its community of practice—ministers, parliamentarians, government lawyers, and other officials—by exploring and demonstrating evidence-based change that has occurred as a result of legal or policy reform.
Latest
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Advisory and Capacity Development Services on Legal and Policy Frameworks for Responsible Agriculture Investment
We advise and support governments in the drafting of model contracts in various sectors, including large-scale farmland investments, agricultural investment laws, legal frameworks for agricultural growth poles and zones, policies for attracting foreign direct investment in agriculture, contract farming templates and laws, and market opportunities for voluntary sustainability standards.
Toward More Equitable and Sustainable Trade in Food and Agriculture
IISD’s work on trade in food and farm goods seeks to improve the extent to which trade policy supports sustainable development outcomes and expand the space for informed discussion among a wider set of policy actors.
Working With Parliamentarians on Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems
Through their legislative, oversight, and representative functions, parliamentarians hold a strategic position: they can inform political and legislative agendas with the purpose of fostering change on the ground.
Model Agreement for Responsible Contract Farming
Offering a simple and practical legal tool for buyers and producers to improve their business relations and to help make responsible agricultural investment a reality.