Document authored by Ahmed E. Sidahmed (IFAD), 2001. In: Response to Land Degradation. (editors E. Michael Bridges, Ian D. Hannam, L. Roel Oldeman, Frits W.T. Penning de Vries, Sara J. Scherr, Samran Sombatpanit. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi [distributed in the United States by Science Publishers] ISBN 81-204 -1494 -2
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution established in 1977, following the recommendations of the World Hunger Conference of 1974, as a United Nations specialized agency with a specific and unique mandate: to combat hunger and rural poverty in marginal and resource-poor areas of the developing countries and to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor on a sustainable basis. In this paper, some issues related to IFAD's experiences in range development are highlighted. The microlevel nature of IFAD projects requires the design of activities which directly involve and empower pastoral communities through microcredit, the delegation of water and grazing-management responsibilities and legislation. Because most IFAD beneficiaries live in marginal areas, overcoming feed deficits - especially in grazing resources - is a challenge common to most projects. Another common constraint is the competition for limited household labour which favours crop production over the unpopular and time-consuming tasks of range management and the maintenance of fodder shrubs. The paper also considers some emerging positive aspects such as the state of rethinking and seeking new development options, global awareness of the environmental welfare and assets of rangelands (e.g. CO2 fluxes) and the emerging interest of the international community in the adoption of new initiatives and in joining forces to share knowledge, training, experience and new opportunities. For example, IFAD hosts the Global Mechanism of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and is entrusted with mobilizing resources in order to implement the UNCCD recommendations through national, subregional and regional action plans and thematic networks.
