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IFAD
in the Sudan
For more than 20 years the Sudan has been a priority country for IFAD. Since 1979 the organization has helped rural poor people in the Sudan by funding a total of 15 projects for a loan amount of US$211.8 million. A further US$316.5 million has been contributed for the projects by the government, cofinanciers and project participants. To ensure a balanced allocation of public resources to the agricultural sector, IFAD’s activities in the Sudan target areas in which rural poor people are concentrated. In the first half of the 1980s IFAD’s work focused on rehabilitation of the irrigated farming sector. From the mid-1980s the emphasis began to shift towards developing the traditional rainfed farming sector. In 2002 the Government of the Sudan, together with IFAD, agreed that future IFAD investments will be concentrated in rainfed areas, which are characterized by a higher level of poverty. Although some projects have been hindered by the prolonged conflict in the country, they have demonstrated how appropriate incentives can significantly improve agricultural production and consolidate peace initiatives. IFAD has adapted its strategy to the conflict situation, and its programme in the Sudan has adapted to successive shifts in government policies and priorities. IFAD supports the government’s efforts to promote decentralization and strengthen local governance of natural resources as part of its commitment to reduce rural poverty and build social and economic stability in the country. IFAD supports the efforts of the Government of the Sudan to improve the living conditions, income and productivity of rural poor people as part of a comprehensive development and peace-building process. In particular, as the country emerges from civil war, the principal aim of IFAD’s work is to tackle issues that underlie conflict and aggravate poverty by promoting support for the agricultural sector, improved land reforms, equitable distribution of resources, participation of local communities in decision-making and poor people’s access to water and land. In line with current government policy to decentralize local government, IFAD’s programme in the Sudan helps empower local communities, protect and assert traditional rights to resources, and promote good local governance. Empowering local management of land and water rights is an important feature of IFAD-funded projects. All of IFAD’s projects in the Sudan feature community-based and community-driven processes, working with local people to ensure food security and income from agriculture within a framework of sustainable natural resource management. Establishing self-reliance is an essential aim of all projects. Community members are encouraged to form organizing groups to manage newly introduced credit services. The projects tend to bring together a broad range of community members representing different socio-economic groups, and they actively involve women in the development process. Projects financed by IFAD have helped increase agricultural production and provide crucial infrastructure. Through women-oriented activities, in recent years projects have worked to ensure representation of women in grass-roots organizations and on project management teams. IFAD’s programme will continue to target rural poor people in the rainfed sector. Here it is possible to reach a larger number of households than in the irrigation rehabilitation sector, and at a more affordable cost. Rainfed agriculture is less dependent on imports for equipment and produces high value export crops and livestock, contributing more to foreign-exchange earnings. Source: IFAD |
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Recently approved and ongoing IFAD operations