• ADB and partners aim to mobilize at least $2 billion by 2035 for land restoration and drought resilience across Asia and the Pacific.
• The FIELD Initiative targets about 1 million hectares under sustainable management, using blended finance, derisking and capital market instruments.
• The program sits within ADB’s Nature Solutions Finance Hub and supports its $40 billion commitment to transform regional food systems by 2030.

The Asian Development Bank and its partners have launched a regional financing initiative aimed at channeling at least $2 billion into land restoration and drought resilience by 2035.

The Financing Investments and Eradicating Land Degradation and Desertification Initiative, known as FIELD, will operate across Asia and the Pacific. It will help governments develop projects, secure financing and move restoration programs into implementation.

ADB announced FIELD during a ministerial dialogue at COP17 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar.

“Land degradation and desertification is a critical threat to ecosystems that sustain millions of rural communities and underpin economic growth in our region—a challenge that no one country can tackle alone,” said ADB Vice-President for East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Scott Morris. “By working with partners and scaling innovative investments in healthy and productive landscapes, ADB will lead efforts to conserve biodiversity, improve livelihoods, and ensure food and water security for all.”

Turning restoration needs into investable projects

The initiative will use financial structures including blended finance, derisking mechanisms and capital market instruments. These tools are intended to attract private investors alongside public and development finance.

An initial pipeline has already been identified. It includes land and forest restoration projects, as well as river basin and water management programs.

The financing challenge is growing as drought, soil erosion and unsustainable land use place greater pressure on regional ecosystems. Drylands support more than 40% of the Asia-Pacific population, according to ADB.

Degradation threatens agricultural production, biodiversity and economic resilience. It also creates additional risks for food and water security, particularly for rural communities.

Rangelands are an important part of that equation. They cover 54% of the world’s land surface and store up to 30% of global soil carbon. Yet financing for their sustainable management and restoration remains limited.

One million hectares targeted by 2035

FIELD aims to place about 1 million hectares of land under sustainable management by 2035. The program is expected to reduce degradation while improving drought resilience, food security and water security.

Financing alone will not be the focus. FIELD will provide grants and technical assistance to ADB’s developing member countries. Support will include policy development, capacity building and a regional knowledge platform.

The initiative will operate as a dedicated land restoration and drought resilience window within ADB’s Nature Solutions Finance Hub. The broader platform brings together financial and technical partners to expand nature-positive investment across Asia and the Pacific.

FIELD also aligns with ADB’s Environment Action Plan and its $40 billion commitment to transform food systems across the region by 2030.

For governments, the structure offers a route to connect land policy with project development and financing. For investors, it could expand the pipeline of structured nature and resilience investments in markets where projects have historically struggled to reach scale.

Global partners back financing push

The initiative contributes to the Riyadh Action Agenda, led by Saudi Arabia as the UNCCD COP16 Presidency. The agenda seeks to mobilize governments, investors and other stakeholders around land restoration and drought resilience.

“The Global Rangelands Flagship Initiative is about moving from recognition to implementation at scale,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad. “ADB’s leadership through FIELD helps build the investment pathway we need, connecting restoration priorities with finance, projects and delivery on the ground. This is how we turn ambition into investable action for landscapes that are vital to livelihoods, food systems, and resilient economies.”

Initial interest in FIELD includes the UNCCD, Qatar Fund for Development and Middle East Green Initiative.

Existing Nature Solutions Finance Hub partners are also involved. They include the International Union for Conservation of Nature, European Union, OPEC Fund for International Development, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

The $2 billion target places land restoration within a broader effort to make nature an investable asset class. Success will depend on whether FIELD can convert policy ambitions into bankable projects and bring private capital into areas traditionally reliant on public funding.

For Asia and the Pacific, that financing will increasingly carry economic as well as environmental weight. Degraded landscapes affect agriculture, water systems and rural livelihoods, making land resilience a growing issue for governments, companies and investors across the region.