The Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships Activity (MSP) is pleased to invite for-profit businesses in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, and Tanzania to submit an application for co-investment through its Food Loss and Waste (FLW) Partnerships Facility.
These investment partnerships will increase the uptake and scaling of technologies and management practices that reduce FLW with an emphasis on nutrition. Additional countries may be added if funding becomes available; an amendment to this RFA will be issued should that be the case. The ultimate purpose of these MSP partnerships is to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of Putin's War in Ukraine and of other systemic shocks.
Through the FLW Partnership Facility, MSP seeks to channel business resources, expertise, technology, and influence to contribute to one or more of the following objectives:
Pilot innovative solutions to reduce food loss and waste with an emphasis on nutrient dense products throughout the supply chain in target countries.
Reduce methane and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through reduction in food loss and waste via improved practices in storage and distribution, and processing.
Create circular economy systems of regeneration within focus countries’ food systems so that waste does not exist but is instead used as feedstock for another cycle.
Strengthen the focus countries’ agricultural competitiveness through enhanced services, private sector engagement, and investment, especially within nutrient rich value chains.
Improve the focus countries’ resilience and capacity to mitigate and respond to food system shocks.
Sample investments could be but are not limited to:
Warehousing, storage, sustainable cold chain, transportation, and other technologies that prolong shelf-life, improve food safety, and reduce product losses from damage or spoilage.
Agro-processing that reduces microbial contamination, improves food safety, and generates additional income for smallholder farming households and expanded opportunities for farmer groups (e.g., value addition, washing, grading, and packaging).
Technologies that improve sanitary and phytosanitary food safety standards.
Innovations to prevent postharvest food loss (e.g. crates to carry produce, cooling facilities, spraying of biodegradable biofilm, etc.) focused on nutrient dense agricultural products.
Climate smart practices that create circular economy opportunities where unsafe or inedible foods are safely recycled back into the food system for human, livestock, poultry, fish or other animal consumption, especially those focused on nutrient dense products and value chains (e.g. Black soldiers fly or other insects for food or feed, compositing, anaerobic digestion)
Other innovations that promote value addition, nutrient dense agricultural products and prevent food loss or waste.
Processes that extend the shelf-life of perishable and nutrient dense agriculture products.
To apply, please register on this platform. Then download the Request for Application (RFA) document, review the award and eligibility information, and follow the application instructions.
Eligibility:
Applicants can include financial institutions, investors, businesses, business service organizations, industry/sector organizations, trade or other private sector associations.
Applicants must be legally registered to operate in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, and/or Tanzania at the time of award.
All applications submitted must range from US $250,000-$2,000,000 and include at least 1:1 matching investment from the applicant. For example, if a partner submits a budget indicating a MSP investment of $500,000; they must also demonstrate a unique commitment of $500,000 of their own funds to be considered for the partnership. If loans or equity investments are included in partner activities, MSP requires a five to one matching investment.