Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty
IFAD-supported projects in the region are assessing and combating the negative impacts of climate change on the rural economy, particularly the smallholder agricultural subsector. IFAD’s work in the region supports sustainable resource management; helps communities protect the ecosystems they depend on; diversifies livelihoods; and builds resilience to climatic changes. In most countries in the region, IFAD-funded projects are helping restore forest cover, conserve water and soils, and heal destabilized ecosystems. In the process, they are also contributing substantially to carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. The main objectives of IFAD’s Latin America and the Caribbean Division are to: (i) build the capacity of country programmes to respond more systematically to increasing demands for assistance and innovations in climate change and sustainable natural resources management; (ii) systematically integrate climate and natural resource issues into the loan and grant portfolio; (iii) promote knowledge, advocacy and partnerships for knowledge related to the environment and natural resources management (ENRM) and climate change; and (iv) strategically use grants and mobilize additional supplementary funding for mainstreaming ENRM and climate risks and opportunities into the overall investment portfolio. A key partner in these endeavours, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), a research centre of excellence based in Costa Rica, is providing specialized technical assistance.