Joint civil society comments on the draft EBRD Food and Agribusiness Draft Strategy 2025
November 29, 2024
The joint civil society review of the EBRD’s draft Food and Agribusiness Strategy 2025 highlights areas for improvement. While the strategy shifts towards sustainability, it lacks robust environmental and social safeguards. Case studies from Ukraine and Uzbekistan illustrate the potential negative impacts of EBRD investments without proper measures. We recommend enhancing collaboration with local communities and smallholder farmers, especially in regions with limited civic engagement, and developing region-specific sustainability indicators.
Learning from multiple crises to build resilient agri-food systems
May 29, 2024
While the EBRD investments helped increase agricultural production in its countries of operation, there is an urgent need to address the regional and global challenges. This can be done through sustainable investment into small and medium farms, phasing out large-scale livestock production, investing in circularity and decarbonisation
Suggestions for integrating considerations of land concentration impacts into the EBRD’s safeguards
May 29, 2024
Based on our experience with the EBRD’s investments in the agricultural sector, we have worked with the Land Matrix Initiative to formulate recommendations for the EBRD to integrate considerations of the impact of land concentration into its safeguards.
Civil society urges the EBRD to adopt responsible policies and reaffirm its commitment to promoting democracy
May 14, 2024
As the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) gathers for its 33rd Annual Meeting in Yerevan (1), civil society organisations have united to challenge the EBRD’s flawed policies. They highlight numerous cases where EBRD investments have had negative impacts on communities and the environment (2). CEE Bankwatch Network, a leading organisation in this effort, is also calling on the EBRD to take decisive action against the increasing repression of civil society in the countries where it operates.
Can Ukraine help green the EU’s farming sector?
January 16, 2024
Ukraine’s accession into the European Union could offer the bloc’s farming sector an environmental lifeline – and green policy experts are …
A truly nature friendly investment – support for the development of Blooming meadows
December 18, 2023
This case study demonstrates a new pilot programme which is designed specifically to help these grasslands and the landowners managing them.
Protecting the biodiversity of Estonia’s agricultural landscapes
December 6, 2023
The case study demonstrates some of the many ways EU funds can and should be used to support nature restoration and conservation projects. These are instrumental to address the biodiversity crisis across sectors.
Agriculture: priorities for sustainable investments to aid Ukraine’s recovery
June 20, 2023
In this issue paper, we argue that the recovery of the agricultural sector should not solely focus on production growth goals but also prioritise the long-term sustainability of Ukraine as it progresses towards EU membership.
How EU-banned pesticides ended up in rubber farms in Ghana with funding from EU public banks
April 19, 2023
In 2007, Peter Boafo signed up for a project that would assist him and thousands of other rubber farmers in Ghana set up their own rubber …
Ako pomôcť s obnovou ukrajinského poľnohospodárstva: Poučenie pre banky
December 20, 2022
Prípad agrogiganta, ktorý za peniaze od medzinárodných investorov rozširuje svoju výrobu na ukrajinskom vidieku, ukazuje, prečo musia …