Bringing the HDP Nexus to Life Through Food Systems

Wrapping up my two-year journey with UNDP feels like a moment to catch my breath after an incredible climb. It’s a time for reflection and asking the big questions: Has the HDP Nexus changed how humanitarian, development, and peace actors collaborate, or is it still a lofty aspiration? Through my HPD Nexus country studies, strategic discussions, and designing resilience programs, one answer stands out: the Nexus comes alive when it’s tangible, thematic, and relevant. And what better theme than food—the most essential of human needs.

This is the second article in my #HDPNexus series. If you missed the first one, you can find it here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/hdp-nexus-reflection-where-we-going-troels-egeskov-mahieu-sorensen-8mdtf

Food: A Natural Nexus Entry Point

Everyone needs to eat. Yet for millions across Africa, this basic necessity remains a daily struggle. From rural communities to urban families, the challenges are daunting. Here are a few sobering facts I’m mindful of when I engage in this space:

• Hunger and Malnutrition: In 2022, over 278 million Africans faced hunger, and nearly 45 million children under five suffered from stunting.
• Heavy Import Reliance: Africa spends $55 billion annually on food imports, leaving it vulnerable to price shocks, like those caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• Skyrocketing Costs: In some regions, food eats up 60% of household incomes compared to 10-20% in developed countries.
• Local Barriers: Smallholder farmers, who produce 80% of Africa’s food, struggle with limited access to finance, tools, and markets. Climate change and poor infrastructure only make things worse.

These challenges are amplified by conflict, climate change, and economic shocks. There’s no single solution, and no single sector approach can fix it alone. This is where the HDP Nexus come in Play. In my experience, the Nexus caters for a comprehensive integrated resilience programme working across several sectors and ministries to address these multidimensional challenges.

For the last two years, I have been a member of a smaller UNDP Global team – an Integrated Task Team – to come up with a new White Paper for UNDP on how to Build Resilient Food Systems (White Paper on How to Build Resilient Food Systems). The Team was made up of experts from across UNDP and I was honored to be appointed to ensure that an African experience and perspective was included. The finalized White Paper provides countries with specific guidance on how to work better across the HDP Nexus by aligning, leveraging and sequencing activities across Food Security and Food Sustainability efforts. Answering the bugling questions: how to lay the foundations for a resilient and sustainable food sector during or right after a crisis or conflict? How to best strengthen local production, value chain and private sector? How to place the Voice of local communities and governments as the centre of any activity related to bringing food on the table – no matter the context? How to clarify the roles within the UN system on supporting sustainable food production?

Operationalizing the Nexus: Lessons from Mauritania

Late last year, I joined my UNDP colleagues in Mauritania to co-create a resilience program focused on moving from food insecurity to food sustainability. Mauritania only produces 30% of its food consumption —a critical challenge for all dimensions of life.

Bringing homegrown food to our tables is, for me, a clear example of where the HDP Nexus can shine. From land to market to table, food systems demand a multi-sectoral, integrated approach that involves all actors across the humanitarian-development-peace sectors in crisis-impacted areas. Mauritania, for instance, grapples with significant food security challenges due to its heavy reliance on imports, climate change, limited access to water and electricity, and disrupted supply chains. The question is: how do we untangle this complexity and build integrated national strategies that lead to food self-sufficiency? The answers don’t just ensure food on the table—they also contribute to the climate challenges, peace, stability, and economic growth.

Agriculture and food systems are at the heart of job creation and economic development, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized communities. Yet, they’re also deeply affected by climate change while simultaneously contributing to it. To achieve food resilience, there’s a pressing need for climate action to make food systems more sustainable and to mitigate environmental degradation. At the same time, many vulnerable groups—who play critical roles in food production, processing, and distribution—continue to face significant inequalities in accessing resources, land, and decision-making power.

This is where UNDP’s mandate is interesting. With its expertise in governance, resilience-building, climate action, and its role as a trusted partner, UNDP is uniquely positioned to lead or contribute significantly to the transformation of food systems through the HDP Nexus and the new White Paper on Building Resilient Food Systems.

My experience in Mauritania was a powerful reminder of the potential of the Nexus. The insights were eye-opening and reinforced the value of a multi-sectoral approach. Food systems touch everything: water, energy, governance, climate, and livelihoods. By applying the HDP Nexus to food systems, we bridged immediate needs—feeding people in crisis—with long-term ambitions like sustainable agriculture, economic growth, and climate resilience.

When we aligned efforts across sectors, we saw governance reforms, private sector engagement, and community voices working together to create lasting solutions. Food became the lens through which we could tackle root causes, promote equality, and build resilience. It’s not just about feeding people today—it’s about laying the foundation for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Mauritania’s challenges mirror those of many African nations: dependency on imports, supply chain disruptions, and the lack of basic resources like water and electricity. Yet, the solutions we designed showed that a multi-sectoral, integrated approach can break down silos and unlock real impact.

The Nexus in Action: Turning Money Into Momentum

Yes, funding matters. But it’s not just about throwing money at problems—it’s about making every dollar count and ensure it’s invested where it has the biggest impact. In 2023, Official Development Assistance (ODA) hit a historic high of $223.7 billion. Yet, when it comes to building sustainable food systems and driving rural development, the financial need is staggering and far outstrips what’s available.

Conflicts, climate change, natural disasters, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have driven up costs and worsened food insecurity worldwide. The 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report paints a grim picture: Nearly 2.33 billion people face moderate to severe food insecurity, and about a third of the global population cannot afford a healthy diet.

Food systems are also under immense strain, contributing nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions while driving biodiversity loss. Transforming these systems will cost an estimated $200-400 billion annually, depending on the scope of the goals. The hidden costs of the current global food system—for health, the environment, and social issues—amount to an eye-watering $12 trillion per year.

Clearly, we need to rethink how ODA is used to make the most strategic and catalytic impact. Aligning public, private, and international development financing more effectively is essential to scaling up investments in food systems and rural development.

Based on insights from leading think tanks and UN agencies, including the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (see my last post with a link to an interview during the Forum), here are five strategic directions for scaling food programming through the HDP Nexus approach that I find Key:

1. Catalytic Use of ODA and Enhanced Donor Coordination

Traditional donor approaches—fragmented and project-specific—aren’t enough to meet today’s challenges. We need a catalytic model, where ODA is leveraged to attract additional public and private investment.

• Why it matters: Effective coordination is especially vital in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, where resources are limited, and the needs are urgent.
• Actionable step: Position integrated resilience programs on building resilient food systems as a narrative for catalytic impact, ensuring alignment across governments, UN systems, civil society, and the private sector.

2. Leveraging Blended and Innovative Finance Mechanisms

Blended finance combines grants or concessional loans with commercial finance to attract private capital into high-risk projects, particularly in low-income and crisis-prone regions.

• Why it matters: Blended finance can mobilize up to four times the amount of private finance for every donor dollar spent, yet it remains underutilized in Africa.
• Actionable step: Scale up private sector engagement through innovative tools like green bonds, impact investing, and multi-donor trust funds. My next article will explore this further through the lens of a new Regional Impact Fund featuring a Food Sustainability Investment Pillar.

3. Reforming Public Financing and Policies

Governments need to rethink public finance systems, increasing investments in food systems while redirecting agricultural subsidies toward sustainable practices.

• Why it matters: Global agricultural subsidies far exceed ODA for food systems, yet they are often inefficient and misaligned with long-term goals like sustainability and climate resilience.
• Actionable step: Advocate for public finance reforms that prioritize HDP Nexus and Resilience programming working across sectors and ministries.

4. Supporting Smallholders and SMEs in Agri-food Systems

Smallholders and SMEs are the backbone of agriculture in most African contexts, yet they struggle with limited access to affordable financing.

• Why it matters: DFIs and MDBs play a key role in bridging this “missing middle,” providing concessional finance, equity, and guarantees for these vital actors.
• Actionable step: Develop targeted strategies to enhance affordable financing for smallholders and SMEs, ensuring their inclusion in the financial ecosystem to ensure the needed food systems transformation.

5. Scaling Up Climate Finance for Agriculture

Agriculture contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions but also bears the brunt of climate change. Shockingly, only 4% of global climate finance supports agriculture, forestry, and related sectors.

• Why it matters: Resilient food systems are critical for adapting to climate change and reducing environmental degradation.
• Actionable step: Push for significantly increased climate finance for agriculture, with a focus on sustainable practices and resilience-building across related sectors.

I’m Hopeful

Africa faces immense challenges, but the continent also holds unparalleled potential:

1. Land Abundance: With 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, Africa could become a global breadbasket.
2. Youth Power: With 70% of the population under 30, Africa’s young, dynamic workforce is ready to innovate and transform agriculture.
3. Rich Biodiversity: Indigenous crops like drought-resistant sorghum and millet offer sustainable, climate-resilient solutions.
4. Tech-Driven Growth: Agritech innovations, like digital marketplaces and precision farming, are revolutionizing agriculture in countries like Kenya and Nigeria.
5. Growing Investments: Initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and public-private partnerships are boosting intra-African trade and enhancing local production.

These factors create a solid foundation for Africa to achieve food self-reliance, ensuring that every family—rural or urban, in conflict or peace—has access to affordable, nutritious food.

Moving Forward

Food systems embody the HDP Nexus—they’re complex, interconnected, and ripe with potential. The question isn’t why the Nexus matters; it’s how we operationalize it. Thematic programming, like food systems, is the key to breaking silos, inspiring collaboration, and delivering real impact.

Africa’s path to food sustainability isn’t just about filling bellies; it’s about creating a resilient, equitable, and prosperous future. That’s a table we should all want a seat at.

Stay tuned for the next article in this series, where I’ll explore how impact investing can bring local SMEs into the Nexus equation.