Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty
IFAD works with governments and communities in the region to introduce appropriate measures and adaptive technologies that reduce the vulnerability of poor rural communities to climate variability and longer-term climate change. Projects in Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands are introducing simple water and land management techniques that prevent damage to soils from flooding and help conserve water. A main focus is restoring ecosystems and their services as a means of bolstering the resilience of agricultural livelihoods. Across the region and beyond, IFAD is also pioneering and testing payment for environmental services, income diversification and more sustainable and profitable management systems, which promise to become a major factor in encouraging rural communities to protect the resources they depend on and to help them become active players in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.