Financing the Future of Food: The Investment Gap And The Positive Signals

$1.1 trillion annually needed globally, $1.5 billion rice financing targeted for Asia-Pacific, and a new $200 million fund

June 19, 2025

From trillion-dollar gaps to targeted regional funds, this week’s signals show agri‑food finance getting more focused, and more grounded. Soil health, rice security, and regenerative models are attracting serious backing, blending scale with science.

What’s inside:

💸 $1.1T global funding need for Food & Ag puts pressure on policy and private capital

🌾 $1.5B rice program brings carbon-smart irrigation to Asia-Pacific

🌱 $200M fund targets regen agtech across Vietnam and Southeast Asia

🧪 Microbial irrigation lifts yields by 25%, with similar results as we have seen elsewhere

Agri‑Food’s future hinges on more than investment. It’s about where capital lands, what it grows, and who grows with it.

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Further Insights curates the week's most relevant signals on Agri‑Food innovation and investment relevant to Asia‑Pacific.

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Global Agri‑food Systems Need $1.1T Yearly to Meet 2030 Goals

Bain & WEF urge $1.1T/yr to fund resilient, low-carbon agri‑food transition globally

Economy Middle East | Finance | Food Systems

Down to Earth: Investors Navigate Regenerative Agriculture

Progress grows, but concerns linger on definitions, pesticides, and farmer support

Responsible Investor | Regenerative Ag | Investors

ADB Targets $1.5B for Sustainable Rice in Asia-Pacific

ADB teams with CGIAR, Gates to boost low-carbon rice in PH and region

MSN | Sustainable Agriculture | Smallholder Farmers

The 2025 Heatwave in Southeast Asia: A Window Into the Future

Extreme heat in 70 of 90 days, worsened by climate change, threatens urban populations and ag systems

Climate Impacts Tracker Asia 
Heatwave | Climate Risk | Food Security

Mekong Capital Targeting $200M Regenerative Agriculture Fund in 2026

Vietnamese PE firm eyes forestry, biotech, data-driven farming, and ocean health

Bloomberg | Private Equity | Fund | Regen Ag

⏰ Other News

IFPRI special issue examines fertilizer and soil health policies in the wake of global crises

Research distills lessons from global crises; pushes site-specific nutrient use and smarter subsidies

IFPRI | Research | Policy | Soil Health | IFPRI

Bioirrigation with bacteria boosts productivity by 25% in sugarcane

Showing yield and soil health gains in commercial trials, similar to elsewhere

AgroNews | Soil Health |Microbial Input | Productivity

China blends rice terraces with digital seed banks to protect agrobiodiversity

Leveraging traditional rice-fish-duck systems and evolving digital seed banks to shield biodiversity and increase climate resilience

Observer Research Foundation | China | Rice | Seed Bank | Agrobiodiversity

Call out to food startups: Unlock your startup's potential in pet food innovation

Big Idea Ventures & Mars launch sustainable pet‑food innovation program

Big Ideas Venture | Pet-Food | Alternative Protein | Mars | Big Idea Ventures

Lab-grown salmon receives FDA approval

FDA greenlights Wildtype’s lab-grown salmon as safe for US market entry

Food Dive | Cultivated Seafood | Wildtype | Regulations

European soils seriously degraded by intensive farming

Over a third of UK soils suffer degradation

The Guardian | Soil Health | Intensive Farming | Europe

Amazon is at risk from US‑China trade war, deforestation

New deforestation risks tied to soy and cattle expansion to fill the gap in trade, a lesson to Asia-Pacific

Eco-Business | Deforestation | Trade War | Amazon | US-China

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