Our financing solutions and advisory services, combined with our strong field presence and our ability to tap into the experience of the entire IDB Group, all make IDB Invest the partner of choice in the agribusiness sector.
Areas of impact
Here are some aspects of the agribusiness sector where we believe IDB Invest can make the most difference:
- Industrial efficiency—For companies in Latin America and the Caribbean to meet the growing demand for agricultural output, they must develop sustainable business models and become more competitive, innovative, efficient and productive. Long-term financing for such investments tends to be scarce in the region, and we are helping to fill that gap.
- Small-scale farming—Family farming has a major economic impact; it accounts for 80 percent of the region’s farms, 40 percent of production and nearly two-thirds of agricultural employment. Yet most of the region’s 14 million smallholder farmers are poor, and only about 5 percent have access to formal financial products. We work with financial institutions, farming cooperatives and major food producers to expand access to financing, promote rural development, secure sustainable production and integrate smallholder farmers into the value chain.
- Climate-smart solutions—Across the region, agricultural producers are looking to increase their resilience, mitigate risks and adapt to the new realities of climate change, in some cases by introducing hardier crops or new farming techniques. We aim to increase our investment in agricultural innovation, new technologies, renewable energy and water management to give the agribusiness sector more tools with which to operate in this environment and become environmentally sustainable.
Across the board, we encourage our clients to look at how gender affects their business and how they might improve conditions and business practices to create better and fairer workplaces for both women and men. Women work throughout agribusiness—whether as pickers, packers or supervisors—but as in many other sectors, the playing field is not necessarily equal. Companies are increasingly seeing the business value of creating work environments that value inclusiveness and diversity.