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Knowledge Management: perspectives from headquarters
The first issue of ‘Making a difference in Asia and the Pacific’ launched in 2004 was the first tool for sharing the knowledge from IFAD-supported projects and programmes in the Asia and the Pacific region with our partners. In the five years since then, we have come a long way. Knowledge management (KM) has taken rank alongside country programme management, financial management, and human resources management in terms of the importance assigned to it at IFAD. In this issue of the newsletter, you will get a glimpse into the many ways we are working now to manage our knowledge in headquarters. The newsletter describes just some of what has been initiated lately by IFAD headquarters in KM under the four broad headings of the IFAD KM strategy framework: processes, partnerships, culture and infrastructure. The next newsletter to be realeased later in June will cover KM initiatives taken in the field. Willem Bettink, Chairperson of the IFAD KM Community of Practice describes IFAD’s recent self-assessment of how we are doing in implementing the KM strategy. Chase Palmeri, KM Facilitator for the Asia and the Pacific Division outlines how we do ‘peer assists’ to learn from each other to improve supervision of projects and programmes. Shalini Kala, Programme Coordinator of ‘Knowledge Networking for Rural Development in Asia/Pacific Region’ (ENRAP) tells us about the growing collaboration among IFAD regional networks that she experienced when partners from IFADAfrica and FIDAfrique invited her to share experiences at their meeting in Nairobi. Enrica Porcari, Chief Information Officer at the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) contributes as a special guest, reminding us how much we gain from partners – even without financing agreements or Memoranda of Understanding. In life, many aspire to be more cultured. In IFAD, some of our aspirations for a better, knowledge-oriented culture have played out in the efforts to inculcate knowledge-sharing behaviour in events and in writing. Chase Palmeri describes how this happened at the Annual Performance Review Workshop. Roxanna Samii, Manager of web, knowledge and distribution services in IFAD fills us in about what is happening in terms of KM infrastructure (virtual, that is) with the Rural Poverty Portal. Lucie Lamoureux of KM4D Associates wraps up this issue with her tale of how and why the IFAD Social Reporting Blog was created for a regional event, and adopted thereafter by headquarters. IFAD conducts a self-assessment of its knowledge management In April 2007, IFAD Executive Board approved IFAD’s Knowledge Management (KM) Strategy, whose ultimate goal is to enable IFAD to better deliver its mandate. The objective of the strategy is to improve knowledge sharing and learning both within IFAD and with its partners. After two years of implementation, the strategy has recently been evaluated through a KM self-assessment.
To proactively support the implementation of the strategy, staff from across the organization and from IFAD's regional knowledge networks formed a KM Community of Practice (CoP) in March 2008. The CoP role is to act as KM mentors and champions, inspiring others to embrace knowledge-sharing principles and help IFAD become a more knowledge- and learning-based organization. To assess the progress made in implementing the KM strategy, IFAD adapted the renowned KM self-assessment framework developed by Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell – authors of a book well-known among KM practitioners entitled ‘Learning to fly’. The KM self-assessment is a strategic planning and benchmarking tool that allows organizations to assess their KM maturity level based on a set of eight to ten competencies, including leadership behaviour, networks and communities, and capturing and re-applying knowledge. The self-assessment resulted in a number of important findings. Among them:
There was consensus among the participants that "if knowledge management is not part of our business, then we will be out of business". The exercise highlighted that KM is not an ‘add-on’ and there is no tension between delivering the programme of work and the project pipeline and pursuing knowledge management. These processes complement and dovetail into each other and are, de facto, inextricably linked. Finally, there was broad agreement that IFAD needs continuous leadership and direction to spearhead improvements in the various KM competencies. The assessment showed that there has been a clear change in attitude and behaviour towards KM, which has led to the embracing of KM values. For example, whereas there used to be a widespread attitude of “I have no time or resources for KM”, various divisions and in particular country programme managers are now delivering knowledge gained through their country programmes This change in culture lays the foundation for IFAD to become a true learning organization. The overall progress made in 2008 has sparked commitment throughout the organization to take KM in IFAD to the next level of maturity. This will require consistent leadership from all managers and a systematic approach to embed KM practices in IFAD’s core processes, and in our daily work routines and behaviour. Willem Bettink, Programme and Change Officer, IFAD Read more: Using peer assists for supervision, one KM process within another at IFAD One KM process that the Asia and the Pacific Division has adopted is the ‘peer assist’. In January 2008 when the division took over direct supervision of some 41 projects formerly supervised by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), our knowledge of the brass tacks of supervision – especially procurement and financial management – was limited. It was clear that undertaking supervision would be a learning process and that we would have to get up to speed fast. Peer assists were one means for doing that. The process of the peer assist is quite simple. A time was set aside every Friday for supervision peer assists. All Country Programme Managers (CPMs) who had returned from a supervision mission would submit their draft supervision report for a peer assist the first Friday following their return from mission. All staff would receive a copy of the draft supervision report, and those present in the office that week would attend the peer assist. In the meeting, CPMs would describe what they had learned during the supervision and the challenges they were facing. Participants provided feedback and shared experiences on how they coped with similar challenges. Participants also gave feedback on the quality of the report and agreed on any changes needed. The CPM would then finalize the report and the ’management letter’ that would be sent with the report to the Borrower, highlighting the main findings and follow-up actions agreed upon during supervision in the field. At the staff retreat in early 2009, the division reflected on its experiences with the peer assists. All agreed that the process was a good one and should be continued, but that there was room for improvement. Meetings were cancelled because the Division Director, who served as facilitator and record keeper, was away. As a result, reports accumulated and subsequent meetings would cover several cases. The meetings then became too long to be productive. Some problems required peer assistance from people outside the division but they were not invited to the assist. And since the CPMs were required to go through peer assistance before finalizing and dispatching the management letter and report to the government, delayed meetings meant delays in sending reports. Our first year experience with the peer assist as a KM process led us to make some changes. For 2009 we plan to improve it as follows:
This year and in 2008, we used the peer assist process to learn about the supervision process. Reflections on both processes have helped us improve the way we do supervision and the way we do peer assists. These processes have contributed to the division being more open to learning, sharing and applying new knowledge in our work. Chase Palmeri, Knowledge Management Facilitator, IFAD Network of networks: Sharing knowledge to support poor rural people Through its regional networks, IFAD has been promoting the sharing of its experiences in rural poverty reduction among projects and partners within Asia, Africa and Latin America. These networks have also led to experience sharing across the three continents. Network representatives have had the opportunity to learn from each other and exchange experiences and ideas. A recent example is the Launch Workshop of the Sub-Saharan Knowledge Management Network (IFADAFRICA) in Nairobi from 20-22 April 2009. Participants included the representatives of IFAD regional networks such as FIDAMERICA (Latin America and Caribbean), KariaNet (Middle East and North Africa) and ENRAP (Asia and the Pacific). Shalini Kala from ENRAP, who represented the Asia and the Pacific region at this event, shares her experience from Nairobi.
During the event, I shared the experience of the IFAD-supported Rural Poverty Reduction Programme in Mongolia and member of ENRAP, which formulated a communication strategy to disseminate its experiences of rural poverty reduction. Eight of the ten participating staff from IFAD-supported projects asked for the strategy document immediately. Other participants requested it via e-mail following the IFADAFRICA launch workshop. Clearly, many IFAD-financed projects in Africa working to improve the lives of poor rural people are seeking to find ways to effectively share their experiences with others. From my experience in Asia, the same holds true. Given the diversity of geographical areas that IFAD works in, it always surprises me how much there is for projects to learn from each other across different regions in their effort to support poor rural people. Since 2003, ENRAP has had the privilege of associating with other IFAD networks – FIDAMERICA, FIDAfrique, KariaNet and now IFADAFRICA – learning and sharing experiences through formal and informal events and via e-mail. IFADAFRICA, the most recent network initiative of IFAD, represents the expansion into Eastern and Southern Africa of an existing IFAD-supported network in West and Central Africa, FIDAfrique. The launch workshop of IFADAFRICA brought together over 100 representatives of IFAD-supported projects and partners (both government and non-government) in Africa. The objective was to plan for a rich and dynamic knowledge exchange of IFAD’s experiences in the continent towards efficient and effective rural poverty reduction. The focus was on:
At the workshop ENRAP shared experiences of IFAD-supported projects in Asia relating to knowledge sharing, knowledge management, capacity building and network management in support of rural poverty projects. Participants were particularly interested in ENRAP’s experience with systematization. Systematization is a self-evaluative and participatory technique of documenting project field experiences. It is widely used by FIDAMERICA among IFAD-supported projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through systematization, projects and partners assess project interventions for poverty reduction, dialoguing with communities, reflecting on accumulated experience in improving project implementation, and sharing lessons with others. ENRAP has supported the application of this technique in IFAD-supported projects in Asia (see link below for more information). Participants were also interested in ENRAP’s experiences in documentation and dissemination of project experiences such as the formation of IFAD country focal points into the Knowledge Facilitators’ Group as the key vehicle for national and regional sharing. They also expressed interest in lessons from network building for knowledge sharing. ENRAP promised to support its African friends in sharing experiences in the future. The launch was also an opportunity for me to bring back learning to IFAD-supported projects in Asia, particularly experiences from two IFAD-funded programmes:
I also met old friends – Coumba Fall, Coordinator of FIDAfrique and German Escobar, Ex-Coordinator of FIDAMERICA. We were able to catch up on our new experiences and explore opportunities to remain connected. German has been a great promoter of South-South cooperation, a network of IFAD networks to systematically and regularly share experiences on learning and managing knowledge. We agreed to follow-up on the idea with colleagues at IFAD. The workshop was a great learning opportunity to share experiences of supporting poor people through knowledge exchange across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Shalini Kala, ENRAP Coordinator, IDRC India Read more: Knowledge sharing in the CGIAR The Information Communication Technology and Knowledge Management (ICT-KM) Programme of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was established by CGIAR’s Chief Information Officer in 2004. The programme promotes and supports the use of information and communications technology (ICT) and knowledge management (KM) to improve the effectiveness of the CGIAR System's work on behalf of poor people in developing countries.
Striving to embed in the CGIAR’s activities a culture of knowledge sharing, the ICT-KM Program of CGIAR launched a ‘Knowledge Sharing Project’ in 2005. The project has two distinct components – the Institutional Knowledge Sharing (IKS) Project and the Knowledge Sharing in Research (KSinR) Project. The Institutional Knowledge Sharing Project The IKS Project, led by Simone Staiger-Rivas from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), focuses on mainstreaming knowledge sharing principles and tools in CGIAR centres and programmes. The project also helped showcase the work of some CGIAR Centres, such as that of the WorldFish Centre. Storymercials (1.5 to 3 min video clips) are helping attract donors and investors to the Centre’s work. Four other CGIAR Centres were actively involved in testing KS approaches and tools. Pilot initiatives at CIAT and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) resulted in the centers organizing and conducting their annual staff meetings differently. The pilot of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) led to the formation of an integrated team of scientists who share knowledge and information and work towards common goals. The pilot initiative of the International Wheat Management Institute (IWMI) helped the Centre launch its own pilot project to embed knowledge-sharing principles in the research cycle. A the end of last year, the IKS Project also helped facilitate the CGIAR 2008 Annual General Meeting held in Maputo, Mozambique, the third such meeting that saw active, strategic participation from the project. In terms of tools, one of the most popular online knowledge-sharing resources is the KS Toolkit. Developed by the project in collaboration with FAO, the toolkit contains 70 tools and methods for sharing knowledge and receives more than 20,000 visits per month. IFAD and its partners in Asia have already benefited from this programme in a number of ways. The ICT-KM toolkit was introduced by ENRAP at its training for IFAD Knowledge Facilitators in Bangkok in November 2008. As a result, many are now using this resource. The project is carrying out a survey to collect the experiences of those who have participated in a number of activities since the project began four years ago: knowledge-sharing workshops and events that incorporated knowledge-sharing methodologies. The following are just some of those events:
Experience with the numerous knowledge sharing events/activities conducted over the length of the Project shows that when introducing KS concepts and tools into an event, participation increases and with that the buy-in from the various groups, Experience also shows that it is important to start small and scale up when demand grows. The Knowledge Sharing in Research Project (KSinR) The KSinR Project, led by Nadia Manning-Thomas from IWMI, focuses on good practices of knowledge sharing that can be used within research projects/programmes in order to improve the effectiveness and impact of CGIAR work. One of the primary avenues for learning in the project is through its six pilot projects (see link below), which have integrated various KS approaches into the different stages of the research process. For example, the IWMI project on Wastewater Agriculture and Sanitation for Poverty Alleviation piloted the use of ‘Learning Alliances’ as a way of bringing together relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to discuss the issue of wastewater and to find ways to better coordinate activities, including generating the knowledge necessary to help support solutions. The project used radio programmes, training videos and flip charts with printed messages and visuals to convey good practices to farmers, caterers and extension agents. In Viet Nam, The WorldFish Centre introduced ‘Outcome Mapping’ as a means of having a more KS- and learning-oriented monitoring and evaluation methodology for fish culture activities, while learning together with stakeholders throughout the research process. Similarly, the Farmers’ Conference Project of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is providing lessons on mechanisms for capturing knowledge and learning from farmers to help better design and carry out of their plant breeding research, with the ultimate goal of finding improved varieties that can boost productivity. The KSinR Project conducted a synthesis workshop in Ethiopia in November 2008 to bring together all six of the pilot projects to look at the various KS approaches used and to learn from each other. Lessons emerging from the KSinR Project show that using these knowledge-sharing approaches in research requires adequate funding, time and personnel – resources that are often beyond those currently available within projects and even Centres. That aside, KS is providing a number of benefits for these projects:
Synthesis of the results across the KSinR Project and its pilot projects and other activities will be documented in a variety of media including the KS website the KS blog, and through the development of practical how-to documents to be made widely available and presented at upcoming CGIAR and other fora. Visit the ICT-KM Programme website for updates on these projects and other activities undertaken by the Programme at www.ictkm.cgiar.org and the blog ictkm.wordpress.com. Enrica Porcari, Chief Information Officer and Leader, ICT-KM Programme, CGIAR Read more:
Capitalizing on the Region’s Annual Performance Review The Asia and the Pacific Region’s Annual Performance Review took place from 1-4 March 2009. There was a formidable stock of knowledge on hand, with more than 140 participants including project managers, subject matter specialists, staff and partners from the IFAD regional programme. The challenge was how to best capitalize on the wealth of knowledge to improve our performance – at the event and back on the job afterwards.
To meet this challenge, we identified several ways to reap the knowledge available and to promote knowledge sharing. This happened before and during the event using electronic tools and face-to-face methods. Firstly, before setting the agenda, we used the evaluation of the 2007 workshop to consult with colleagues in the Asia and the Pacific Division and country presence officers on possible themes and focus for the event. To refine the agenda, a questionnaire was sent to all participants to find out their expectations, subjects of interest and information related to specific topics on the draft agenda. This helped us formulate questions for working sessions, identify presenters and design the workshop process and flow. During the workshop, we tried facilitation methods and session formats that would make the event lively while also achieving several KM objectives. These included giving each participant as many opportunities as possible to share his or her own knowledge, cross-fertilization amongst different groups of participants, team building within country groups, and learning by doing for participants willing to practice new facilitation skills. Small table discussions, role-playing, interviews, showcasing and time for informal off-session interaction were elements of the methods and formats used. Social reporting, a KM approach that combines face-to-face and electronic means, was introduced for the first time as a way of capturing the event and improving the quality, timeliness and outreach of its documentation. Lucie Lamoureux describes in detail how the social reporting method was introduced in her article below entitled ‘Adventures in Blogging’. Did explicit KM make the event a better one? Participant ratings were up from those of the previous workshops. Has participant performance back on the job improved as a result? Time will tell. Tune in next year and we’ll let you know what the portfolio performance indicators tell us. Chase Palmeri, Knowledge Management Facilitator, IFAD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rural Poverty Portal: Connecting people with knowledge The Rural Poverty Portal – powered by IFAD – is a website where poor rural people, their organizations, United Nations organizations and multilateral organizations, policymakers, donors, research institutes, non-governmental organizations and other development partners can share information and knowledge. The Portal provides access to millions of links from a single entry point and streamlines the search for information.
The Rural Poverty Portal provides IFAD with an integrated, modern and robust information and knowledge management infrastructure that facilitates effective communication, dissemination and processing of information and knowledge. The goal of the Portal is to help eradicate rural poverty by enhancing the sharing of information and knowledge and by positioning the fight to eradicate rural poverty as a global, regional and national priority. In November 2008 the fully functional Rural Poverty Portal went online. This was a deliverable of IFAD’s Action Plan for Improving its Development Effectiveness and a foundational element of IFAD's Knowledge Management Strategy. The Portal is a tool that will enable individuals to acquire, adapt, store, disseminate, manage and use knowledge. It is also a transformational service that will encourage positive changes in knowledge processes and sharing behaviour – within IFAD, within and among country programme teams, among projects and programmes, and among IFAD’s partners. The Portal is the result of a collaborative effort that involves IFAD country programme managers, regional economists, staff across the organization and IFAD colleagues in the field. It serves as the cornerstone of information and knowledge management at IFAD, dynamically bringing together a wealth of knowledge about rural poverty reduction, and information and resources from many sources and providers. It helps IFAD fulfill its catalytic role by enhancing the organization’s ability to function as a rural poverty knowledge broker and influencer of policy.
The Rural Poverty Portal has been designed and developed to ensure accessibility for users with slow Internet connections. The Portal approach The Portal concept is shaped by the following approaches:
Today the Rural Poverty Portal features 86 country pages and 12 topic pages. In 2009 new country and topic pages will be added. We encourage you to contribute to this knowledge base by reviewing the existing content and flagging new and up-to-date material. Roxanna Samii, Manager, Web, Knowledge and Distribution Services, IFAD Read more: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Adventures in blogging: ‘Social reporting’ at IFAD’s Annual Performance Review Workshop In November 2008, my colleague Allison Hewlitt and I designed and delivered a training on knowledge-sharing methods and tools to further develop the capacities of Country Knowledge Facilitators (KFs) in the Asia and the Pacific region. During this training, the idea of using a blog to document IFAD’s Annual Performance Review Workshop was born. The KFs had been using a blog to capture some of the training sessions and saw the potential for its use at IFAD’s workshop, which took place from 1-4 March 2009. They were keen to delve into the ‘social reporting’ function but felt they needed to practice using the tools a bit more before the event. We also needed to create a game plan to make this happen, basically to decide the what, the who and the how of social reporting.
To be effective social reporters, the KFs practiced using the tools for a couple of days before the main event. Each session of the two-day workshop programme was written on separate pieces of flipchart paper on the wall. In teams of two or three, the KFs signed up for the sessions they wanted to cover as social reporters and came up with their own action plan, including how they would cover the session content and which media they would use. How they wanted to cover the sessions was completely up to each team. Some focused on summarizing the content through bullet points and illustrated the sessions with photos. Others also captured more informal participant feedback from post-sessions. Allison and I helped out by covering the various sights and sounds of the workshop (and providing technical assistance as needed). By the end of the workshop, some of the CPMs were capturing the results of their country sessions. Roxanna Samii, an IFAD champion of social reporting, saw this as a chance to showcase how a blog can be used to capture events within IFAD. She used this opportunity to officially launch the IFAD blog. It is hoped that many more intrepid social reporters will follow this path and experience – and create – a more interactive and innovative way of reporting events at IFAD. Lucie Lamoureux, KM4D Associates Read more: Occasional papers – Issue 8: Sustainability of rural development projects – best practices and lessons learned by IFAD in Asia Sustainability is one of the IFAD’s principles of engagement, and helps define its identity and role. Sustainability is also a critical challenge for all international development agencies. It is not possible to claim lasting impact in terms of rural poverty reduction without ensuring this aspect of development. The IFAD Strategic Framework 2007-2010 establishes sustainability as one of IFAD’s key concerns. While there have been significant improvements in the sustainability of IFAD operations, especially over the past two years, this issue remains a major challenge. The 2008 Annual Report on Results and Impact of IFAD Operations – produced by In 2008 IFAD’s Asia and the Pacific Division placed a high priority on identifying the factors that affect the sustainability of investment projects. A multi-phase research process was undertaken to provide guidance on sustainability, with the ultimate aim of ensuring the lasting development impact of IFAD-funded operations in the region. The study was undertaken by TANGO International, in collaboration with the division. The research study was initiated with a comprehensive desk review analysing ongoing regional efforts to promote the sustainability of IFAD-funded programmes. The review was followed by a series of case studies highlighting best practices, constraints and lessons learned in achieving sustainability in selected countries with ongoing IFAD operations. This paper represents the final output of the process. It suggests a theoretical framework for approaching the concept of sustainability and its definition as it applies to the design and implementation of IFAD-funded operations. We believe that the study’s findings and recommendations will be of interest to policymakers, development practitioners, donors, academics and civil society, and will enrich our understanding of the various dimensions of programme sustainability. The paper was written by TANGO International. Occasional papers are a series of studies on emerging thematic issues in the Asia and the Pacific Region published by IFAD. The papers contribute to IFAD’s efforts to share the knowledge and experience emerging from its activities and those of its partners in the region. For more information, please contact Valentina Camaleonte, Asia and the Pacific Division, IFAD. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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[email protected] Martina Spisiakova
Making a Difference in Asia and the Pacific Issue 25: March-April 2009 Issue 24: January-February 2009 Issue 23: November-December 2008 Special issue: October 2008 Issue 22: August 2008 Issue 21: June-July 2008 Issue 20: January-February 2008 Issue 19: January-February 2008 Issue 18: December 2007 Issue 17: September-October 2007 Issue 16: June-July 2007 Issue 15: Issue 14: January/February 2007 - Sustainable natural resource management Issue 13: November/December 2006 - PBAS: looking beyond the resource allocation system Issue 12: September/October 2006 - Communication for poverty reduction and rural development Issue 11: July/August 2006 - Working with UN agencies at the country level Issue 10: May/June 2006 - Indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities Issue 9: March/April 2006 - Access to land Issue 8: January/February 2006 - Agricultural Technology Management Issue 7: November/December 2005 - Pro-poor policies Issue 6: September/October 2005 - Gender & MDGs Issue 5: July/August 2005 - Partnership Issue 4: May/June 2005 - Rural Finance Issue 3: March/ April 2005 - Donor Harmonization Issue 2: January/ February 2005 Issue 1: November/ December 2004
Bangladesh Implementation support mission – Finance for Enterprise Development and Employment Creation (FEDEC) Project, June 2009 Detailed design mission – Char Development and Settlement Project, 15 June - 10 July 2009 Follow-up mission – Sunamganj Community-Based Resource Management Project, July – August 2009 Cambodia Implementation support – Rural Livelihoods Improvement Project in Kratie and Ratanakiri, June 2009 Quality assurance – Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project, 7 July 2009 Detailed design mission (Asian Development Bank) – Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project, July 2009 Quality enhancement review – Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project, 12 August 2009 China Start-up support mission – Sichuan Post-earthquake Agricultural Rehabilitation Project, 1- 12 June 2009 Supervision mission – Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Rural Advancement Programme, 22 June –9 July 2009 Start-up support mission – Sichuan Post-earthquake Agricultural Rehabilitation Project, 27 July - 7 August India Joint review mission – Chhattisgarh Tribal Development Programme, 12-26 June 2009 Joint review mission – Livelihoods Improvement Project in the Himalayas Training on knowledge management for KM and gender focal points from the projects in India, 15-17 July 2009, Bhubaneswar, Orissa Joint review mission – Livelihoods Improvement Project in the Himalayas (Uttaranchal), 29 July – 12 August 2009 Tribal conference, Ranchi, Jharkhand, August-September (dates to be confirmed) Joint review mission – Tejaswini Rural Women’s Empowerment Programme (Maharashtra), August (dates to be confirmed) Indonesia Project completion review – Post-Crisis Programme for Participatory Integrated Development in Rainfed Areas (PIDRA), July – August 2009 Nepal Documentary production for BBC Earth Report – Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Programme, 21 June - 5 July 2009 Training project staff in more effective writing, August 2009 Nepal Country Programme Management Team Meeting, 26 August 2009 Pacific Islands Documentary production for BBC: Life on the Edge, Kiribati, 28 May – 9 June 2009 Implementation support and review mission – The Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovations (MORDI) programme, 1-17 June 2009 Design mission – Solomon Islands, June 2009 Design mission – Papua New Guinea, 2nd half July 2009 Design mission – Timor Leste, July 2009 Pakistan Training in financial management and portfolio review meeting – 1–4 June 2009 Quality assurance review – Crop Maximization Support Project, 18 June 2009 Supervision mission – Programme for Increasing Sustainability and Outreach in Microfinance (PRISM), June 2009 Mid-term review mission – Microfinance Innovation and Outreach Programme, mid-July 2009 Viet Nam Mid-year consultative group meeting, Buon Me Thuot, 7-9 June 2009 Supervision mission – Programme for Developing Business with the Rural Poor, Cao Bang, 8-17 June 2009 Detailed design mission, Dak Nong and Tuyen Quang, 21 June – 21 July 2009 Country programme review workshop, July 2009 |
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in developing countries. Its work in remote rural areas of the world helps countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Through low-interest loans and grants, IFAD develops and finances projects that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty themselves.
IFAD tackles poverty not just as a lender, but as an advocate for the small farmers, herders, fisherfolk, landless workers, artisans and indigenous peoples who live in rural areas and represent 75 per cent of the world's 1.2 billion extremely poor people. IFAD works with governments, donors, non-governmental organizations, local communities and many other partners to fight the underlying causes of rural poverty. It acts as a catalyst, bringing together partners, resources, knowledge and policies that create the conditions in which rural poor people can increase agricultural productivity, as well as seek out other options for earning income.
IFAD-supported rural development programmes and projects increase rural poor people's access to financial services, markets, technology, land and other natural resources.