The evaluation of the Agroecology Fund (AEF) provided an independent assessment of its relevance, added value, governance, management capacities, and effectiveness in producing intended outcomes. It also evaluated AEF’s role in field-building and re-granting for system change.

Key learnings include the importance of principles-based grant-making, which aligns resources with needs, empowers regional flexibility, and leverages collaboratives for food system transformation. Strengthening governance and collaboration by engaging advisors, long-term partners, and listening to stakeholders enhances funding strategies and builds donor-partner collaboration for shared impact. Additionally, pooled donor funds should actively promote systemic transformation in food systems through field-building efforts, coordinated cross-sector interventions, and mechanisms for collective innovation.

Since 2012, AEF has increased its annual funding from €1.2 million to over €11 million in 2023, growing its donor base from 4 to 51. The number of grantee partners expanded from 6 to 144, now operating across 88 countries. AEF established four regional funds supporting agroecology: the Yucatan Peninsula Agroecology Fund (Mexico), Bharat Agroecology Fund (India), Eastern Africa Regional Fund, and West Africa Regional Fund. The evaluation is based on 81 key informant interviews, with 44% of respondents being grantee partners, and includes seven case studies involving 55 participants.