Our vision
At IFAD, we envisage vibrant, inclusive and sustainable rural communities where people live free from poverty and hunger.
Innovation at IFAD - IFAD
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Embracing innovation
©IFAD/Santiago Billy/Factstory
Every day, our planet's rural people grapple with climate change, conflict, poverty and other hardships. In an increasingly complex world, we cannot rely on conventional approaches alone to respond to these challenges. We need new ways to make rural development more just, sustainable, resilient, equitable and inclusive. In short: we need innovation.
IFAD defines innovation as any new process, product or approach that adds value and helps to sustainably, equitably and directly impact poor rural people. To make it accessible and relevant, we invest in and scale up innovations that enhance rural people’s lives.
Investing, testing, learning, partnering
Game-changing innovations don’t just happen; they’re the result of taking risks, allowing ideas to germinate and then cultivating them to meet real needs on the ground. That’s why IFAD provides a safe space for testing through Open Innovation Challenges.
Our innovation is not limited to delivering results in the field. We also invest in improving efficiency and effectiveness through cutting-edge tools, like the GeoScan and the Omnidata platforms.
We work with other international financial institutions and private sector partners to identify, support and co-finance proven innovations with a strong potential to be scaled up, like the Moonshots alliance which develops AI for climate resilience.
Building a culture of innovation
Our innovation labs promote innovation tools and methodologies within the organization to support the creation, design and testing of desirable, feasible and viable ideas.
The IFAD Innovation Talks and the IFAD Innovation Network provide opportunities to share knowledge, learn about and scale up good practices.
Every year, we nominate Innovation Champions who develop and promote cutting-edge tools, technology and approaches at IFAD.