The Responsible Agricultural Investment Tool for Agribusiness

Agribusinesses and investors in the food and agriculture sector are increasingly motivated to ensure their operations and investments generate positive social and environmental outcomes. But they need support to translate these aspirations into responsible business practices and responsible investments.

The RAI Tool for Agribusiness is a reference tool developed by IISD, Cerise+SPTF, and partner organizations with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. It aims to help agribusinesses assess how well aligned their practices and operations are with international principles for responsible business conduct, such as the Committee on World Food Security’s Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems, the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry, and the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards.

The RAI Tool for Agribusiness provides a framework that integrates these high-level principles into the language of agribusiness operations, structures, procedures, and management practices. Such a framework makes it easier for agribusinesses to understand responsible business practices, to identify where their existing practices fall short of international principles and best practice, and to prioritise steps to apply these principles in their operations.

The development of the RAI Tool for Agribusiness builds on existing best practice and performance indicators. The Tool has been tested by agribusinesses in Africa and Asia and refined based on their input and feedback. A Guidance Document and Reporting Template have also been developed to facilitate use of the Tool.