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Screening for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems

Guidance and tools for government officials

Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 120 p.

Author Bulman, A.; Coleman, J.; Merrill, E.; Akwii, E.; Songy, M.; Fiedler, Y.;

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-138725-2

To cite or share https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0455en

Synopsis (short abstract) Strong screening processes help to identify and avoid or mitigate risks associated with larger-scale investments in agriculture and food systems at the early stage of the investment assessment process before any commitment has been made, costs incurred, or harms suffered. They can also enable governments to identify and shape responsible projects, establish a country’s credibility as an investment destination with an effective enabling environment for responsible investment, establish good government – community – investor relationships, and lay the foundations for informed expectations and decisions about a proposed project. This publication seeks to unpack the “what, why, and how” of screening. Sections 1, 2, and 3 make up the “guidance” component of the publication and Annexes A and B contain a series of adaptable tools. These tools can be downloaded in Word and PDF formats below.

The following complementary information is available:

  • Tool 1: Questions about the proposed investor
    • Tool 1 sets out a list of questions about proposed investors that have been developed based on existing guidance and expanded to incorporate the Committee on World Food Security’s Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI).
    Download Word format and PDF format

  • Tool 2: Questions about the proposed investment
    • Tool 2 sets out a list of questions about proposed investments that have been developed based on existing guidance and expanded to incorporate the CFS-RAI.
    Download Word format and PDF format

  • Tool 3: Documentation and resources to support due diligence processes
    • Tool 3 links the topics outlined in tools 1 and 2 of the guidance to examples of supporting documentation and resources.
    Download Word format and PDF format

  • Tool 4: Sample responsible agricultural investment key performance indicators
    • Tool 4 sets out sample key performance indicators (KPI) based on the CFS-RAI.
    Download Word format and PDF format

  • Tools 5: Sample investor scorecard
    • Tool 5 provides a sample investor scorecard for the topics “Reputation” and “Experience and expertise.”
    Download Word format and PDF format

  • Tool 6: Sample investment evaluation tool
    • Tool 6 provides a sample investment screening tool for the topics “Site suitability (tenure impacts)” and “Natural resource use and management.”
    Download Word format and PDF format

Cite this content as:

Bulman, A., Coleman, J., Merrill, E., Akwii, E., Songy, M. & Fiedler, Y. 2024. Screening for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems – Guidance and tools for government officials. Rome, FAO. 

https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0455en

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Language English

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