17 October is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It has been observed every year since 1992, when the UN General Assembly designated this UN Day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries - a need that has become a development priority.

At the Millennium Summit, world leaders committed themselves to cutting by half by the year 2015 the number of people living in extreme poverty - people whose income is less than one dollar a day.

The rate of poverty reduction is currently less than one third of what is needed to achieve this goal.

• To achieve the 2015 target, broad-based development founded on sustained rural and agricultural development is essential.
• Reducing poverty depends primarily on the people and governments of the developing countries themselves. Governments should create conditions that allow the poor to become agents of change, using their own talents and capacities to raise their production and increase their income.
• The international community must offer stronger support. High priority should be given to improving the developing countries' access to markets in the developed world.
• Development cooperation also needs to be strengthened. During the 1990s, overall ODA in real terms fell significantly, and aid to agriculture declined even more sharply. Every effort should be made to reverse this trend.
• In order to achieve more rapid, sustainable poverty reduction, the poor need better access to assets such as land, technology, fair markets, health, education and economic services such as credit and savings. IFAD's Rural Poverty Report 2001 provides examples, and illustrates how this might be achieved.

IFAD's President, Lennart Båge, says ''The target of halving poverty by 2015 is ambitious but achievable. In fact, a number of countries in south-east Asia, as well as large provinces in India and China, more populous than many countries, have significantly reduced poverty levels over the last 25 years. The challenge is to extend these achievements to other regions, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where in some areas poverty has actually increased over the last decade.''

''One central issue that has not received adequate attention is that of land and water rights,'' continues Båge. ''The majority of the rural poor depend on agriculture for their livelihood, but rarely have secure title to land and water. Unequal land holdings create unequal incomes, and exacerbate unequal access to credit, education, health and other services. But history has shown that promoting smallholder farming through land reforms can lead to dramatic reductions in rural poverty and accelerate national economic development. In India, for instance, poverty has fallen fastest in states where land reform has been implemented.''

Projects designed with the full participation of the people who will benefit from them are more likely to be effective and successful. No one should be hungry, poor or uneducated: if given the opportunity, the rural poor everywhere have shown that they can build more secure lives for themselves and their families.

Female illiteracy in India is a huge problem that affects nearly 70% of women. Through an IFAD project, Kamar Sultana Khan was able to transform her life. She says ''I was deserted by my husband and before the self-help group started up all I did was domestic chores. I have had training in bookkeeping and by getting together with other women, I've gained more friends, a business and more awareness.''

In Mozambique, over two thirds of the population live within 150 km of the coast and many families rely on the ocean for their livelihood. However, lack of resources and rivalry between local fishermen and industrial trawlers has led to serious depletion of fish stocks. IFAD therefore developed a project in Mozambique to address these problems. Alfredo Alfane, a local fisherman, says ''Before the project started we had a big problem. The big trawlers came and destroyed our nets.'' Now, there is an agreement that the commercial fleets must stay 3 nautical miles out to sea.

One quarter of the world's population still does not have access to a clean, safe, water supply. In Ecuador a project helped villagers design an innovative water supply system. ''Thanks to this project our lives have changed enormously. Before, the community didn't have access to safe drinking water. It was hard work and it took a long time to go and collect water. But now we have safe drinking water piped directly to our homes'', says Luz Maria Guaman, secretary of the water users' association set up by the project.

The scarcity of water is a major problem for farmers in Jordan, where rainfall has been steadily decreasing over the last ten years. Through an IFAD project, farmers learned new soil and water conservation techniques to enhance production, including the building of stone terraces on sloping land to retain soil and water. Taysir Ahmad Jaradin managed to plant his previously barren land with olive trees. He said, ''Without the project, nothing was possible here, so I thank all those who helped me. First of all, the project helped me regain my energy, even though I am at retirement age. Before, I would have sold this land; now, I wouldn't sell it at any price.''

Development projects can make a difference. IFAD has helped over 250 million people to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty.

IFAD has further enhanced its outreach to rural communities by working closely with networks organizations, for example, the Popular Coalition to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty. The Popular Coalition was established for the purpose of creating a common strategy to empower the rural poor by means of reviving agrarian reform and increasing the participation of the poor in policies and decisions that affect their livelihoods.

Another such network organization is the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), which was established in October 1997 and, like the Popular Coalition, is housed at IFAD. The Global Mechanism acts as focal point for a network of partners concerned with combating desertification by mobilizing financial resources and channeling flows of such resources to ensure equitable distribution.

IFAD listens, and, with its partners, responds to the needs of the rural poor.