Development Finance for Food and Nutrition Security: Delving Deeper into the Nexus

INTRODUCTION: FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION AS A KEY CHALLENGE IN A TURBULENT WORLD

The current global landscape is characterized by heightened volatility and uncertainty, with significant repercussions for development finance. A combination of factors, including economic shocks, the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating geopolitical tensions, and shifting political priorities, has exerted considerable strain on the financing for development architecture underpinning global development efforts. Within this context, the recent Fourth Financing for Development Conference, convened in Seville in July 2025, constituted a critical initiative aimed at revitalizing political commitment to reversing the recent deterioration in development financing, particularly in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the broader 2030 Agenda. Notwithstanding the ambitious expectations associated with the Seville Conference, its outcomes underscore the imperative for a more pragmatic and results-oriented approach going forward. This need is further accentuated by recent and unprecedented developments in Official Development Assistance (ODA), including the dismantling of USAID and the reorientation of development policy under the current Trump Administration (Klingebiel et al., 2025; Mavrotas, 2025).