Press release number: IFAD 09/06

Rome, 16 February 2006 - Access to land lies at the heart of the fight to overcome rural poverty. The issues relating to owning, controlling and using land, and the question of how to achieve a more equitable distribution of land, were discussed today at a round-table held at the 29th session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The round-table brought together government delegates and representatives of farmers' organizations and social movements. It highlighted the complexity of land tenure issues and the many challenges faced in the implementation of agrarian reform. Issues such as the rights of rural women and indigenous peoples to land, the legal and economic implications of land distribution or restitution, and the need to accompany land reform with appropriate rural development interventions were central to the debate.

Participants particularly emphasized the need for governments to work in partnership with stakeholders in planning and implementing agrarian reform. It was generally agreed that land reform could not be successful unless it took account of the needs of rural communities and especially of vulnerable groups.

''Millions of people are asking for solutions'', said Nemesia Achacollo of the Bolivian Federation of Women Farmers. ''There can be no real change in the incidence of poverty and hunger unless we set up a dialogue between states and international organizations and those who represent all the actors.''

While equitable land ownership is still a distant goal, some progress has already been made. Representatives of governments and civil society groups from Brazil, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, the Philippines and Zambia spoke of the positive achievements of agrarian reform made in their respective countries.

The round-table also provided a forum for focusing debate on these issues in preparation for the upcoming International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICAARD), to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil during March 2006.

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IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and grants, it develops and finances projects that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty themselves. There are 185 ongoing IFAD-supported rural poverty eradication programmes and projects, totalling US$6.1 billion. IFAD has invested nearly US$2.9 billion in these initiatives. Cofinancing has been provided by governments, beneficiaries, multilateral and bilateral donors and other partners. At full development, these programmes will help nearly 80 million rural poor women and men to achieve better lives for themselves and their families. Since starting operations in 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$9.0 billion in 707 programmes and projects that have helped nearly 300 million poor rural men and women achieve better lives for themselves and their families. Governments and other financing sources in the recipient countries, including project participants, have contributed almost US$8.8 billion, and multilateral, bilateral and other donors have provided another US$7.0 billion in cofinancing.