Press Release No. IFAD/41/01

Rome, 3 December 2001 – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the CropLife International will be addressing a Press Conference in Brussels to present a number of examples of joint ventures that demonstrate how tangible results in rural poverty reduction can best be achieved through joint public and private sector efforts.

The examples are from the Latin America and Caribbean region and emphasize the importance of private-public sector synergies of agricultural solutions that would ensure food security and sustainability for small holder farmers. This would help improve the triple bottom line of economic viability, social responsibility and environmentally sound approaches.

IFAD’s projects are designed to promote the economic advancement of the rural poor, both through empowerment and improvement of the productivity of on- and off-farm activities. CropLife International is led by companies such as Aventis, BASF, Bayer, DuPont etc. in the plant science industry and contributes to these projects with its expertise in crop protection and biotechnology to developing agricultural solutions and technology packages.

“The partnership with CropLife Latin America has contributed to improving the management by rural poor families of crop protection products in IFAD’s projects. It has also provided IFAD with the opportunity to help build links between a private-sector entity, rural poor organisations and governments. The concrete results achieved so far constitute a strong case to pursue our common efforts,” says Raquel Peña Montenegro, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Division in IFAD.

The Latin America’s member association of CropLife International, developed in Guatemala a successful programme aimed at promoting safer use of crop protection chemicals. This coincided with the implementation of an IFAD development project in the Cuchumatanes Highlands. The IFAD project targeted 22 000 families who live under very poor conditions in the remote rural areas at 3000 m above sea level.

Issues of common concern to both IFAD and CropLife International included the rural poor handling the application of crop protection products. A multiple approach to the problem was used by introducing concepts and training for farmer and their families in proper and safe use of crop protection products. A one-year course for school children on environmental protection, including books and visual aid was also introduced. Teachers received training on the benefits and risks of using crop protection products and rural women were informed through training programmes of the importance of washing farmers’ clothes separately so as to avoid contaminating other clothing and water sources. Health workers were provided with information on the medical and paramedical levels of suggested treatments in the event of accidents.

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IFAD is a specialised agency of the United Nations with the specific mandate of combating hunger and poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of the world. Since 1978 IFAD has financed 584 projects in 114 recipient countries and in the West Bank and Gaza for a total commitment of approximately USD 7.2 billion in loans and grants. Through these projects, about 250 million rural people have had a chance to move out of poverty. IFAD makes the greater part of its resources available to low-income countries on very favourable terms, with up to 40 years for repayment and including a grace period of up to ten years and a service charge of 0.75% per year.