UNLOCK: Scaling IMPLEM-EAT

About The Event

The High-Level Panel for a Just Rural Transition is building momentum toward COP31 through a campaign narrative arc focused on moving from ambition to implementation:

ACTIVATE → ALIGN → UNLOCK → MOBILIZE → LAND

Following ALIGN at the Clim-Eat House of Impact during London Climate Action Week, the journey continues in Nairobi with UNLOCK: Scaling IMPLEM-EAT — a closed-door, working convening co-hosted by Clim-Eat and AGRA.

Bringing together a curated group of leaders across government, finance, philanthropy, implementation, research and farmer-centred innovation, UNLOCK is designed to explore one critical question:

How can public finance unlock resilient, farmer-centred food systems at scale across Africa?

We are not short on solutions. We are short on scale.

Across Africa, proven approaches already exist to strengthen resilience, improve nutrition, support farmers and accelerate climate-smart agriculture. Yet many remain fragmented, underfunded, or unable to move beyond pilot stage.

At the centre of this challenge is public finance.

Agricultural subsidies and public support mechanisms remain among the most powerful — and underutilised — levers for driving transformation at scale. As public budgets tighten and climate pressures intensify, the ability to align finance, policy and implementation has never been more urgent.

UNLOCK is designed for this moment.

Rather than a traditional conference, UNLOCK is intentionally structured as an interactive and implementation-focused working convening. Across two days, participants will engage in focused “Scale Design Studios” anchored in real initiatives and country-led pathways across Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Kenya.

Discussions will explore practical approaches to:

• Repurposing agricultural subsidies and public support mechanisms
• Scaling regenerative and climate-smart agriculture
• Strengthening nutrition-sensitive food systems
• Unlocking blended finance and investment pathways for smallholder farmers
• Building political alignment and institutional coordination ahead of COP31

The convening will spotlight real implementation pathways and scaling opportunities across the region, including initiatives and projects supported by the Trafigura Foundation — helping connect finance, policy and partnerships to move from pilots to transformation.

Participation is intentionally limited to ensure focused exchange and practical collaboration among leaders positioned to influence policy, finance and implementation. 

Why UNLOCK?

UNLOCK is designed to help bridge the gap between ambition and execution — connecting country priorities, public finance and scalable pathways capable of delivering resilience, productivity, nutrition and rural livelihoods.

Participants will:

• Access initiatives already gaining traction and ready to scale
• Help shape politically and financially viable transformation pathways
• Engage directly with decision-makers and implementation leaders
• Identify concrete opportunities for investment, collaboration and action

This is not about networking with everyone.

It is about working with the right people to move ideas into implementation, coalitions into action and momentum toward COP31.

Participation is by invitation only.