The Big Picture

COP30 is being called the "Implementation COP" because the world has exhausted its patience for climate promises. After decades of pledges, we need capital flowing to farmers like Josephine in rural Kenya who prove that resilience isn't theoretical—it's investable.

Why it Matters

Adaptation and resilience receive only 5% of total climate finance, and less than 5% of that comes from private capital. This trillion-dollar blind spot threatens global food systems at the worst possible time. When farmers lack reliable water and tools, entire supply chains weaken, prices rise, and political stability erodes.

What's Happening

Josephine moved from Nairobi to start farming three acres of coffee, hibiscus, and fish. When drought nearly destroyed everything, a $100 solar-powered irrigation pump from SunCulture—an Acumen portfolio company—transformed her life. She now sells branded coffee, runs a fish pond, and built a two-bedroom house where a shack once stood.

Her story represents thousands proving that climate resilience delivers measurable returns when backed by the right capital structure.

The Numbers

Across 12 agribusinesses in Acumen's Resilient Agriculture Fund portfolio:

• 89%: Farmers reporting higher production

• 90%: Farmers reporting higher incomes  

• 2.6x: Average revenue growth for portfolio companies

• 5.6x: Follow-on capital raised

• 129%: Job growth across portfolio

• 33%: Higher likelihood of climate shock recovery for farmers with increased income

• 47%: Revenue growth at Kentaste despite 2024 drought

Between the Lines

The evidence contradicts the charity mindset that has dominated climate adaptation funding. Kentaste, a Kenyan coconut processor, used follow-on financing to expand into Tanzania during drought—growing revenues 47% instead of shrinking. SunCulture's pilot showed that cutting pump costs by just 25% tripled sales velocity.

If Kenya invested in subsidies and credit for solar irrigation, the country could achieve 50% food self-sufficiency within five years. Yet we hesitate to subsidize smallholders in Africa while routinely supporting farmers in the Global North.

What's Next

Resilience requires a capital continuum: philanthropic funding tests early models too risky for mainstream investors, patient capital scales proven approaches, and commercial investors provide growth financing. This graduated approach de-risks climate adaptation without sacrificing social impact.

Strategic subsidies that make resilient technologies affordable aren't charity—they're common sense for protecting supply chains, fiscal systems, and political stability.

The Bottom Line

As COP30 unfolds, progress should be measured not by new pledge amounts but by farmers whose lives have been transformed. The evidence exists that resilience delivers returns for farmers, investors, and nations. Capital must follow where proof leads.

Go Deeper

• Read Acumen's comprehensive "Investing in Resilience" research report with detailed portfolio impact data