Common Fund for Commodities

31/08/2026

🌱 Want to access CFC finance and turn your ambition into grassroots impact?

If you are an SME, cooperative, social enterprise, NGO, or public/private entity working across commodity value chains in developing countries, the 29th Call for Proposals of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) offers an opportunity to translate innovative ideas into meaningful and scalable impact. 🌐

Join our upcoming 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 to learn how to apply for CFC financing, understand what makes a proposal successful, and discover how your project can deliver real impact at the grassroots—improving smallholder incomes, strengthening local enterprises, and building resilient, sustainable value chains. 🌿

The session will cover:
💠 CFC’s financing instruments and application process
💠 Key eligibility and selection criteria
💠 How to design projects that put smallholders, workers, women, and ecosystems at the centre
💠 How your initiative can contribute meaningfully to the SDGs while scaling commercially

📅 Date: Tuesday, 1 September 2026
⏰ Time: 15:00–16:00 CET
📍 Where: Online

💡 Whether you are applying for the first time or refining an existing idea, this webinar will help you position your project not just for funding—but as part of a global community of impact champions transforming commodity value chains from the ground up.

To register for the Webinar 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNcCFs7s

To learn more about the 29th Call for Proposals 👉 https://lnkd.in/gdHQSYR7

Join us in building inclusive, resilient, and sustainable commodity value chains that generate long-term impact. 🌍

26/08/2026

🌍 Fostering international cooperation to advance food security, sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth.

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) was pleased to welcome H.E. Mr. Abdulrahman Aljarallah, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for discussions on expanding cooperation to advance sustainable agriculture, food security and resilient commodity value chains. 🤝

The meeting highlighted the strong potential for collaboration between Kuwait and the CFC, including opportunities to work with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to mobilize catalytic finance, support agricultural SMEs, strengthen rural livelihoods and build more resilient food systems across developing countries. The dialogue also reaffirmed a shared commitment to accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals through strategic partnerships.

At the CFC, we believe that partnerships are essential to transforming commodity sectors, empowering smallholder farmers and creating lasting development impact. 🌱

Read more: https://common-fund.org/kuwait-and-common-fund-commodities-explore-strategic-partnership-food-security-and-sustainable

20/08/2026

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is pleased to announce that it has become a Founding Adopter of the Impact Performance Reporting Norms🌐

This marks an important step in the CFC’s continued commitment to impact integrity and leadership in advancing industry norms.

The Reporting Norms establish shared expectations for reporting impact results and support greater transparency and consistency across the investment community. As a Founding Adopter, the CFC will integrate the Norms into its future impact reporting, building on our existing impact measurement and reporting practices. 🌿

The Founding Adopter status also encompasses the CFC’s Graduation Fund and the Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund, supporting a consistent approach to impact reporting across the CFC’s new and existing mandates.

💬 “For CFC, credible impact reporting is essential to understanding and demonstrating the difference our investments make. Becoming a Founding Adopter reflects our commitment to transparency and accountability, while strengthening how we measure, assess and communicate our impact.”

- Mathias Cooman, Impact Strategy Officer, Common Fund for Commodities

🔗Find out more about the Reporting Norms here-https://lnkd.in/eqGxCYYW

18/08/2026

Advancing cooperation for sustainable commodity transformation 🤝

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) was pleased to welcome H.E. Mr. Akan Rakhmetullin, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to CFC Headquarters in Amsterdam for discussions on sustainable commodity finance, value addition and development cooperation.

The meeting highlighted the importance of addressing the financing gap facing the "missing middle" - small and medium-sized enterprises that are often underserved by traditional financial markets despite their critical role in creating jobs, adding value and strengthening commodity value chains. 🌿

Discussions also explored Kazakhstan's significant potential in sustainable agriculture, nutraceutical value chains, critical minerals and responsible natural resource development, while reaffirming the importance of supporting Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in achieving resilient and inclusive economic growth.

Through dialogue and collaboration with Member States, CFC continues to advance innovative financing solutions that empower smallholders, strengthen SMEs and promote sustainable development across commodity-dependent economies. 🌿

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ehm9E3cq

13/08/2026

Who will grow tomorrow’s food, sustain our rural communities, and carry agricultural knowledge forward? 🌱

On International Youth Day, we turn our attention to the vital connection between young people and smallholder agriculture.

Smallholder farmers are at the heart of many agricultural commodity value chains. Their knowledge, skills and experience have been built over generations. Yet the future of this knowledge depends on whether the next generation sees agriculture as a sector of opportunity, innovation and purpose. 🌿

Engaging young people in smallholder agriculture is therefore about more than creating jobs today. It is about ensuring that knowledge is passed on, farms remain productive, rural communities thrive, and food and commodity systems become more resilient for generations to come.

Young people bring new ideas, technologies and entrepreneurial approaches. At the same time, they can learn from the experience of today’s smallholders - connecting generational knowledge with new possibilities.

This International Youth Day, let us recognize the importance of making smallholder agriculture a future that young people can believe in, build on and proudly carry forward. 🤝

12/08/2026

🌍 Strengthening partnerships for sustainable cocoa value chains

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) welcomes the announcement of a strengthened partnership between Côte d'Ivoire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including plans for a new cocoa processing facility in San Pedro and the Côte d'Ivoire Business Forum, taking place on 14 September 2026 in The Hague.

As the Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Ibrahim Kalil KONATE highlighted, the country's ambition is to move beyond being the world's leading cocoa producer to becoming a global leader in the processing and export of finished cocoa products. The initiative marks an important step towards creating greater value where cocoa is produced and strengthening commercial partnerships between Côte d'Ivoire and the Netherlands. 🌍

The upcoming Business Forum will provide a valuable platform for governments, investors and businesses to explore new opportunities for investment, innovation and sustainable industrial development. 🤝

At the CFC, we believe that strengthening local processing, mobilizing responsible investment and fostering international partnerships are essential to building resilient commodity value chains and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and commodity-dependent communities. 🌿

📅 Côte d'Ivoire Business Forum
📍 The Hague, Netherlands
🗓️ 14 September 2026

Read more here- https://lnkd.in/e-YUG7xd, https://lnkd.in/eDSzKv8t

11/08/2026

CFC stands in solidarity with the people of Colombia

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) expresses its deepest solidarity with the people of Colombia following the devastating earthquake that struck western Colombia on 10 August 2026.

Our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those who have been injured, and the families whose homes, livelihoods and communities have been affected. We also recognize the courage and dedication of the rescue teams, first responders, local authorities and communities working tirelessly to save lives and support those in need during this difficult time.

Our solidarity extends especially to the smallholder coffee farmers, rural enterprises and farming communities of the Eje Cafetero - the heartland of Colombia’s world-renowned coffee sector.

For many of these producers, the earthquake comes at an already challenging moment. Coffee-growing communities have been navigating price volatility, climate uncertainty, unusual rainfall, production pressures and increasingly fragile rural livelihoods. The devastation caused by the earthquake risks deepening these vulnerabilities, threatening not only homes and essential infrastructure but also farms, businesses, jobs and the sources of income on which entire families and communities depend.

This tragedy is a powerful reminder of why we must continue humanizing commodity value chains.

Behind every cup of coffee, every harvest and every commodity traded across international markets are people, families and communities. Their lives, aspirations and well-being must remain at the heart of the systems that connect producers to markets.

Humanizing value chains means building commodity systems that are more equitable, transparent and resilient. It means ensuring that smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs have the resources, opportunities and support they need not only to participate in markets, but also to withstand shocks, recover from crises and build more secure futures.

Colombian coffee producers have demonstrated extraordinary resilience through economic uncertainty, climate-related challenges and changing market conditions. But moments such as this remind us that resilience cannot rest on the shoulders of producers alone. It must be matched by solidarity, meaningful support, investment and concrete action.

As an organization mandated to support smallholder farmers and SMEs in commodity-dependent communities, the CFC reaffirms its commitment to stand with Colombia’s rural producers during this difficult time. The CFC stands ready to explore how it can contribute to recovery and rebuilding efforts, particularly for communities that form the backbone of Colombia’s coffee and other commodity sectors, while helping strengthen the value chains that connect them to markets around the world.

We join the international community in expressing our unwavering support for the people of Colombia - today, in the challenging days ahead, and throughout the long road to recovery.

05/08/2026

What is the true human cost of sovereign mispricing? 🌐

When sovereign risk is mispriced, the consequences extend far beyond financial markets. Sovereign credit ratings shape the cost of capital for governments and businesses alike, influencing investment, growth and development opportunities. Their effects are felt across commodity value chains, SMEs and the millions of smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on affordable and accessible finance.

For commodity-dependent developing countries, the impact is particularly severe. Higher borrowing costs constrain investment in processing, value addition and industrialization, leaving many economies trapped in exporting raw commodities while importing higher-value finished products. Sovereign mispricing does not simply raise the cost of finance—it reinforces the cycle of commodity dependence.

In the CFC Annual Report 2025, Mr. Igor Zelezetskii explores this challenge in his feature article, "Mispricing Development: Sovereign Ratings and the Human Cost of Capital." Drawing on decades of experience in sovereign risk and international finance, he examines how prevailing credit-rating methodologies influence perceptions of risk, the availability and cost of capital, and the financing constraints facing many developing economies.

The article also contributes to the growing international dialogue on reforming the global financial architecture. Against the backdrop of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and preparations for LLDC3, it discusses proposals to improve sovereign risk assessment, including the concept of a multilateral credit-rating agency that could complement existing methodologies with a more balanced, transparent and development-oriented perspective.

🌐For the Common Fund for Commodities, this discussion goes to the heart of our mission. Commodity dependence is often the symptom of a deeper financing failure. When countries and enterprises are systematically priced as riskier than their long-term fundamentals justify, investment in value addition, innovation and SME growth is discouraged—the very drivers needed to diversify economies and create better opportunities for millions of smallholder farmers and workers.

We welcome the recognition in the Sevilla Commitment, adopted at FfD4, of the need for a fairer, more transparent and more effective international financial architecture. A more balanced approach to sovereign risk assessment can help unlock affordable finance, strengthen commodity value chains and support more inclusive and sustainable development.🌿

📖 Read the full feature article here and join the conversation on building a global financial architecture that better supports development - https://common-fund.org/publications

Download the feature here- chromehttps://www.common-fund.org/sites/default/files/AR_2025/CFC_AR_25_Mispricing.pdf

03/08/2026

30/07/2026

🌱 The CFC Graduation Fund, established in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has completed its first investment, providing a USD 300,000 financing package to Odzi Food Industries in Zimbabwe.

The investment will help Odzi expand its locally integrated groundnut value chain, strengthen Zimbabwe's agro-processing sector and create sustainable market opportunities for thousands of smallholder farmers. 👨‍🌾👩‍🌾

Through its Community Empowerment through Sustainable Groundnut Farming (CET) programme and the Makonde District Outgrower Scheme, Odzi already partners with more than 3,000 smallholder farmers, over 70% of whom are women. With support from the CFC Graduation Fund, the company aims to expand to 10,000 farming households, benefiting approximately 40,000 families while transitioning to 100% locally sourced groundnuts. 🌿

Beyond financing, the Fund's Technical Assistance Facility will help farmers adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, strengthen resilience to climate shocks, reduce carbon footprints, eliminate child labour and improve productivity across the groundnut value chain. 🌐

As David Jazire, Chief Executive Officer of Odzi Food Industries, noted, the partnership will help transform groundnuts from a traditional subsistence crop into a viable cash crop - creating sustainable livelihoods while improving access to affordable nutrition.

Reflecting on the significance of the Fund's first investment, Ernesto Daza Lacouture, Investment Manager at CFC, noted that the transaction represents exactly what the CFC Graduation Fund was established to achieve: helping high-potential agribusinesses overcome the "missing middle" stage through catalytic finance and technical assistance that deliver lasting development impact.

This first investment marks the beginning of the CFC Graduation Fund's mission to strengthen resilient food systems, empower local agribusinesses and create new opportunities for smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa. 🌍

🔗 Read more here: https: https://common-fund.org/cfc-graduation-fund-launches-investment-portfolio-first-financing-zimbabwes-odzi-food-industries