Agriculture depends on nature, and the way we finance agriculture can either protect biodiversity or put it at risk.
Across many countries, governments are beginning to rethink subsidies and incentives that unintentionally harm biodiversity and instead support sustainable agricultural practices that benefit both farmers and ecosystems.
In Colombia, UNDP BIOFIN is working with the agricultural development bank FINAGRO to help redirect credit lines toward nature-positive production practices in sectors such as livestock, coffee, cocoa, cassava, forest products, and rice. By aligning financial incentives with sustainable production, the country is exploring ways to mobilize significant resources while supporting farmers’ livelihoods.
In Ecuador, efforts to reform fuel and agricultural subsidies are being paired with green credit and microfinance solutions, helping ensure that reducing harmful incentives goes hand-in-hand with increasing investment in sustainable production.
These experiences show that shifting from harmful subsidies to nature-positive finance solutions is not only possible — it is already happening.
Watch the full conversation moderated by Mariana Bellot, Global Coordinator of BIOFIN’s Biodiversity Finance Plans programme, with Diego Daniel Olarte Suárez (BIOFIN Colombia) and Arturo Mora (BIOFIN Ecuador) to learn how countries are turning policy challenges into opportunities for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity finance.
