Arab-backed food security platform moves toward first funding round

A new initiative that aims to address food insecurity and land degradation has spent much of the past year building out its coalition of donors, partners, and political backers. Now, it’s preparing its first major call for proposals, marking its move into project funding.

Launched in late 2024 alongside the United Nations desertification talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the more than 90-member Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security is a coordinating platform that connects governments, development financiers, researchers, and companies around food security projects in dryland and desertification-prone regions. Its more prominent members include PepsiCo, ACTED, AVPN, and China’s Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy.

Desertification and food security are tightly linked. Up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded, and degraded land produces less food than healthy land. At the same time, some intensive agricultural and livestock grazing practices can accelerate degradation.