Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty
IFAD has financed five projects in Albania since 1993, investing a total of US$51.9 million in rural development, irrigation rehabilitation and agriculture in the poorest mountainous areas of the country. IFAD's most recent investment of US$9.2 million in The Mountain to Markets Programme is a package of poverty-reduction measures based on participatory and systematic identification of investment opportunities in poor mountain areas. The goal is to increase the incomes of poor rural people in the northern part of Albania, the most disadvantaged part of the country. Read more
IFAD has provided funding for five projects in Algeria since 1987, supporting government strategies to eradicate rural poverty with loans for a total of US$65.6 million. Three projects have been completed and three are ongoing. The first generation of IFAD's projects in the country focused on the development of both agriculture and fishing. They addressed the most important problems facing the crop, livestock and artisanal fishery production systems. They also dealt with natural resource management through soil and water conservation, watershed management and reforestation. They extended support for credit delivery and recovery services for smallholders as well as for social infrastructure development such as the drinking water supply. Read more
IFAD has financed six programmes and projects in Armenia since 1995, investing a total of US$78.2 million. The organization's experiences have shown that providing essential support for agricultural activities is effective in rapidly reducing poverty. All programmes and projects have focused on the development of local institutions. The Irrigation Rehabilitation Project, the first IFAD-funded operation in Armenia, included an innovative participatory approach to water management that promoted development of water users' associations. Read more
Since 1997, IFAD has invested US$67.7 million in five projects and programmes in Azerbaijan, which have mobilized overall investments for a total of more than US$192 million. Read more
Bosnia and Herzegovina
IFAD began operations in Bosnia in 1996 shortly after the conclusion of the Dayton peace accord. Since then IFAD has supported six projects in the country and provided a total of US$70.6 million in loans. Read more
Cyprus: Read more
Djibouti
Since the early 1980s, IFAD has provided loans totalling US$14 million to help finance five projects in the Republic of Djibouti. Read more
Egypt
Egypt is IFAD's largest recipient of financial assistance in the Near East and North Africa and was one of the first countries in the world to receive financing from IFAD. IFAD has committed almost US$323 million in loans to Egypt since 1981 to support agricultural development and reduce rural poverty. So far about 5 million poor rural people have benefited from this support. Read more
In 1994 IFAD launched its first intervention in the Palestinian territories, soon after the signing of the Oslo accords in September 1993. The Gaza Strip and Jericho Relief and Development Programme was designed to improve incomes and living standards and help create an environment conducive to peace and security. This was followed in the late 1990s by a broad-based agricultural development intervention programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Palestinian Authority, the seven-year Participatory Natural Resources Management Programme. Read more
Georgia
Since 1997 IFAD has invested a total of US$38.3 million in financing for four programmes and projects for a total value of US$93.1 million. The now-completed Agricultural Development Programme, which was co-financed by the World Bank, has contributed to land privatization and registration, and has improved prospects for land market development. It helped introduce rural credit for farmers and supported community participation and organization. The experience showed that improved access to credit can have positive effects on agricultural investment, outputs and rural livelihoods without distorting financial markets. Read more
IFAD has committed US$71.4 million in loans in Jordan since 1981 to support agricultural development and reduce rural poverty. The funds have financed seven agricultural development programmes and projects, for a total value of US$189.5 million. IFAD is a leading partner in participatory development in Jordan, where it has worked with poor rural people to design programmes and projects in collaboration with the government and other partners. Activities have focused mainly on rain-fed agriculture and livestock, small farm credit, income diversification and natural resources management. Read more
IFAD has approved loans to the government of the Kyrgyz Republic for a total of US$20.4 million. They support projects for agricultural development that are worth US$67.7 million and are in line with the government's poverty reduction strategy. Research, training and extension have been the main focus of project activities. Read more
Lebanon
IFAD has supported four projects in Lebanon, investing a total of US$36.4 million. Cofinancing of projects was provided by the World Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). Activities focused mainly on natural resource management, income diversification and addressing social needs and environmental concerns. Read more
Since 1979, IFAD has financed 12 rural development projects in Morocco, for a total of US$200.6 million. The first generation of projects, implemented over the period from 1979 to 1986, focused mainly on increasing rainfed and irrigated agricultural production on a nationwide basis, and on developing opportunities for short-term and medium-term credit for poor farmers. Read more
Since 1999, IFAD has invested a total of US$68.9 million in five programmes and projects for an overall cost of US$116.3 million. The overall goal of IFAD's strategy in the country is to reduce poverty by supporting the development of a rural market economy that is based on family-owned and managed on- and off-farm businesses. Read more
IFAD has financed a single project in Romania, the Apuseni Development Project, which was effective from 1999 to 2006. IFAD provided US$16.5 million in loans to finance the project, which had a total cost of US$31.5 million. Read more
IFAD has completed four projects in Somalia. Since the collapse of the country's central government, the organization has chosen to concentrate its development operations in the northern regions of Somaliland and Puntland, where a relative degree of security is guaranteed. Read more
Sudan
For more than 20 years the Sudan has been a priority country for IFAD. Since 1979 the organization has invested a total of US$251.4 million in financing for 19 programmes and projects of a total value of US$596.2 million. Read more
Since 1982, IFAD has supported eight projects in Syria with loans totalling US$154.2 million for projects with a total value of US$533.3 million. The organization has also provided a number of grants, including technical assistance grants to support women’s empowerment. Read more
IFAD has invested US$16.2 million in two projects (both completed) in the country. In line with the government's policy, both initiatives focused on providing rural people with improved access to credit and other financial and technical services offered by private institutions. IFAD established credit lines for investment in private agriculture, providing the liquidity needed in the country's under-monetarized rural economy. Read more
Since 2008, IFAD has invested US$26.9 million Tajikistan, thus mobilizing overall investments for a total of US$30.7 million. Read more
Depuis 1980, le FIDA a financé 10 projets en Tunisie, pour un montant total de 139,7 millions de dollars. Deux projets sont actuellement en cours: le Programme de développement agropastoral et de promotion des initiatives locales pour le sud-est et le projet de développement agricole intégré dans le gouvernorat de Zaghouan. Read more
Since 1982 IFAD has financed eight programmes and projects in Turkey with loans totalling US$142.7 million. In 2000 the emphasis of IFAD operations shifted from area-based rural development projects focusing on infrastructure and support for farmers through extension and credit, to projects supporting participation and income diversification. The shift was included in the Ordu-Giresun Rural Development Project and the Sivas-Erzincan Development Project, both of which feature village-based planning activities as a prelude to investments. Village development associations also have a key role in establishing priorities and implementing activities in the Diyarbakir, Batman and Siirt Development Project, effective since mid-2007. Read more
Uzbekistan: Read more
Yemen
IFAD has been financing development initiatives in Yemen since 1979. Yemen was one of the first countries to receive financing from the organization. To date IFAD has financed 22 development programmes and projects in Yemen, with a total of US$232.9 million in loans. The total cost of these programmes and projects, including co-financing, is US$232.9 million. Read more