Programme to benefit 25,000 rural families and promote food sovereignty

Rome, 31 May, 2012 – Representatives from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed a loan agreement this week with the Government of the Republic of Ecuador for the new US$62.9 “Buen Vivir [Good Living] in Rural Territories” programme.

The programme will benefit some 25,000 rural families, and includes US$33 million in financing from IFAD and the Spanish Food Security Co-financing Facility Trust Fund. The remaining project funds will come from the Ecuadorian government and regional financial institutions.

“This programme will create new opportunities for poor rural families with limited access to land and water, technical assistance, rural financial services, and markets,” said Francisco Pichón, IFAD’s Country Programme Manager for Ecuador, during the loan signing.

The Buen Vivir Programme will work in eight territories with high incidences of rural poverty that spread through the provinces of Bolívar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Imbabura, Manabí, Santa Elena and Tungurahua. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries will implement the programme over a six-year period.

“The target group is especially vulnerable to deteriorating environmental conditions due to deforestation, land degradation and the effects of climate change,” said Pichón. “With this in mind we worked with the Government of Ecuador to design a programme that aligns with the nation’s new Food Sovereignty Law and works toward achieving the Agriculture Ministry’s goals related to improved access to land and water, food sovereignty, agro-biodiversity, environmental protection, and enhanced productivity and economic returns for family farmers in the region.”

Ecuador is considered a middle-income country and has a growing national economy. Nevertheless, in the programme area, over 67 per cent of people live in extreme poverty, there is a 42.3 per cent rate of infant malnutrition, and around one in three people do not make enough money to cover their basic needs.

“The programme will build capacity within local institutions and governments, and strengthen community-based natural resource management practices to ensure long-term sustainability,” said Pichón. “Ecuador’s family farmers are essential for national food sovereignty, environmental stewardship and the protection of biodiversity. By giving these farmers the tools and training they need to step out of poverty, we hope to break the cycle of poverty and inequality in the region.”  

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Press Release No.: IFAD/38/2012

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$14 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 400 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the United Nations’ food and agriculture hub. It is a unique partnership of 168 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD).