NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Multi-stakeholder platform Grow Asia, which focuses on building more resilient and sustainable food systems, has unveiled its largest impact fund, the GrowBeyond Fund, which includes a first-of-its-kind public-private blended financing model targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and designed to leverage up to US$1 billion of climate finance.

The new fund will unlock inclusive finance for small agri-businesses over the next 10 years, targeting the 70-plus million SMEs in Southeast Asia that lie at the forefront of the climate crisis. With the agri-food industry producing more than 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Grow Asia, the fund will prioritize investments in climate-smart agriculture, regenerative practices and innovative technologies, addressing the pressing climate challenges faced by farmers and rural communities in the region.

Photo courtesy sasint.