COP30: Eight countries back RAIZ – the Brazil-led finance accelerator to scale farmland restoration worldwide – CGIAR

Report on the Resilient Agriculture Investment for net-Zero land degradation (RAIZ) Accelerator

Introduction and Strategic Mandate

On 19 November 2025, in Bélem, a coalition of eight nations announced support for the Brazil-led Resilient Agriculture Investment for net-Zero land degradation (RAIZ) accelerator. This initiative is designed to mobilize government and investor collaboration to restore degraded agricultural land. The accelerator’s core mission is to deliver a ‘quadruple-win’ by advancing climate action, protecting biodiversity, ensuring food security, and combating desertification, thereby making a significant contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The RAIZ framework builds upon successful national models, such as Brazil’s Green Way and EcoInvest programs, which mobilized approximately USD 6 billion to restore up to 3 million hectares of pastureland. The official launch is scheduled for the UNFCCC COP30 Ministerial Event.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Addressing Key Global Challenges

The RAIZ accelerator is fundamentally aligned with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), positioning land restoration as a critical pathway to achieving global targets. The initiative’s impact spans environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development.

Core SDG Contributions

• SDG 15 (Life on Land): The primary objective of RAIZ is to combat land degradation and desertification, directly supporting Target 15.3, which aims to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030. By restoring agricultural ecosystems, the initiative also contributes to halting biodiversity loss.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): By restoring the productivity of degraded soils, RAIZ aims to enhance global food production. Reversing just 10% of cropland degradation could yield an additional 44 million tonnes of food annually, sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of 154 million people, thus directly advancing food security.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): The restoration of degraded farmland is a key nature-based solution for climate mitigation and adaptation. Healthy soils enhance carbon sequestration, and sustainable agricultural practices reduce pressure on forests, which are vital carbon sinks.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Economic analysis indicates that every dollar invested in land restoration can generate up to $30 in economic benefits. By improving farm productivity and creating resilient agricultural systems, RAIZ supports rural livelihoods and stimulates economic growth in farming communities.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): RAIZ exemplifies a multi-stakeholder partnership, uniting national governments, private investors, development banks, and technical organizations like CGIAR and FAO to mobilize finance and expertise for a shared sustainable development objective.

The Challenge of Land Degradation and Investment Deficits

Scale of the Problem

Globally, over 20% of agricultural land, equivalent to approximately 1 billion hectares, is degraded. This degradation diminishes soil productivity and resilience, exacerbating food insecurity and driving agricultural expansion into natural ecosystems, including deforestation. This directly threatens the achievement of SDG 2 and SDG 15.

The Financial Gap

A significant barrier to large-scale restoration is a USD 105 billion funding gap. While the private sector has the potential to invest up to USD 90 billion in on-farm nature-based solutions, mobilization is constrained by high upfront costs, long payback periods, and variable returns. The RAIZ accelerator is designed to address this market failure by using public finance to de-risk private capital, making restoration a more attractive and viable investment proposition.

Operational Framework and Technical Assistance

Mechanism for Action

RAIZ will facilitate the co-design of tailored national financing solutions that strategically blend public and private investment. This approach aims to unlock capital at the scale required to meet national and global restoration targets. The accelerator will provide participating governments with comprehensive technical assistance across four key stages:

1. Mapping and Prioritization: Utilizing an interactive mapping tool to conduct accurate analysis of degraded landscapes, enabling the strategic direction of funding to areas with the highest potential for productivity gains and positive SDG impacts.
2. Solution Identification and Financial Assessment: Supporting governments in identifying investable restoration solutions and developing a Farmland Restoration Finance Assessment. This will outline costs, returns, funding gaps, and potential finance sources.
3. Co-Investment Mechanism Design: Convening governments and investors to structure or adapt co-investment vehicles that leverage public finance to de-risk private investments, thereby reducing the cost of capital for restoration projects.
4. Knowledge Exchange and Collaboration: Consolidating lessons from national experiences into case studies and guidance documents to foster global peer learning and improve the enabling conditions for restoration finance, contributing to the knowledge-sharing aspect of SDG 17.

International Endorsements and Partnerships

Governmental and Institutional Support

The initiative is led by Brazil and supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. This broad coalition signals strong international commitment to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (SDG 15.3).

Key Stakeholder Perspectives

• CGIAR: Highlighted the significant economic returns of land restoration and noted that RAIZ can de-risk investments by translating science into actionable guidance and embedding evidence-based metrics to quantify climate, biodiversity, and livelihood outcomes.
• FAO: Emphasized that RAIZ addresses the interconnected goals of land productivity, food security, climate resilience, and sustainable biodiversity use, showcasing the power of agrifood system solutions when supported by strategic investments and partnerships.
• UNCCD: Welcomed the initiative as a mechanism to help farmers and communities achieve healthy lands, which are foundational to prosperous economies and the achievement of multiple development goals.
• Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU): Stressed the need to move from fragmented, project-based financing to systemic change by co-designing national investment mechanisms that align public incentives with private capital to restore farmland at scale.

The accelerator will be delivered by a consortium of partners under the FAO FAST Partnership, including the UNCCD G20 Global Land Initiative and FOLU, with technical support from the Green Climate Fund, the World Bank, and CGIAR, among others.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on the Resilient Agriculture Investment for net-Zero land degradation (RAIZ) accelerator addresses several interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus is on land restoration, which has direct implications for food security, climate action, biodiversity, and global partnerships.

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The article explicitly connects land restoration to strengthening food security. It states that reversing cropland degradation could restore 44 million tonnes of annual food production and meet the nutritional needs of 154 million people. The initiative aims to make degraded agricultural land more productive, directly contributing to ending hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The RAIZ accelerator is presented as a solution to “tackle climate breakdown.” The article highlights that restoring degraded land can improve soil carbon capture potential, which is a key strategy for climate change mitigation. The initiative’s goal of promoting resilient agriculture also aligns with climate adaptation efforts.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This is the most explicitly mentioned SDG in the article. It states that farmland restoration is central to achieving SDG 15.3, which aims for Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030. The entire initiative is focused on combating desertification, restoring degraded land, protecting biodiversity, and reducing pressure on forests from agricultural expansion.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The RAIZ accelerator is fundamentally a multi-stakeholder partnership. It unites governments (Brazil, Canada, UK, etc.), international organizations (FAO, UNCCD), development banks, private investors, and technical partners (CGIAR) to achieve a common goal. The article emphasizes the need to unlock public and private investment and foster collaboration to close the significant funding gap for land restoration.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 2.4: “By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change… and that progressively improve land and soil quality.” The RAIZ initiative directly supports this target by financing the restoration of degraded agricultural land to boost productivity and build resilience.
2. Target 13.2: “Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.” RAIZ helps participating governments design and implement national-level financing solutions for land restoration, which is a nature-based solution for climate change, thereby integrating climate action into agricultural and economic planning.
3. Target 15.3: “By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.” The article explicitly names this target as a key goal that the RAIZ accelerator supports, with its entire focus being on financing and scaling up farmland restoration.
4. Target 17.3: “Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.” The article highlights a USD 105 billion funding gap for land restoration and describes RAIZ as a mechanism to unlock and strategically allocate public and private investment, directly addressing this target.
5. Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.” The structure of RAIZ, involving collaboration between governments, investors, the UN, and civil society organizations like the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), is a direct embodiment of this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Area of land restored: The article provides specific figures that can be used as indicators, such as the goal to restore “up to 3 million hectares of pastureland” in Brazil and the broader “250 million hectare target.” This directly measures progress towards Target 15.3.
• Proportion of degraded land: The article establishes a baseline by stating that “Over 20% of the world’s agricultural land – around 1 billion hectares – is currently degraded.” Progress can be measured by tracking the reduction in this percentage, which aligns with Indicator 15.3.1 (Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area).
• Financial resources mobilized: The article points to a “USD 105 billion funding gap” and the potential for “USD 90 billion” in private investment. The amount of capital unlocked by the RAIZ accelerator, such as the “USD 6 billion” mobilized by a precursor program in Brazil, serves as a key indicator for Target 17.3.
• Increase in food production and security: The potential to restore “44 million tonnes of annual food production” and meet the nutritional requirements of “154 million people” are specific, measurable outcomes that can be used as indicators for Target 2.4.
• Quantified climate and biodiversity outcomes: The article mentions that RAIZ will promote “rigorous monitoring systems that quantify climate, biodiversity, and livelihood outcomes.” This implies the development and use of specific metrics to measure improvements in soil carbon, species diversity, and rural incomes as a result of the restoration projects.

4. Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: cgiar.org