Climate and environment
The lives of small-scale farmers are being upended by climate change. They need support to adapt to climate change and to protect the planet’s precious resources
Fragile contexts and crises - IFAD
Fragile contexts and crises
1 billion
live in fragile contexts
live in fragile contexts
630 000
people protected against climate risks with IFAD’s insurance programme
people protected against climate risks with IFAD’s insurance programme
38.2 million
IFAD participants more resilient between 2019 and 2021
IFAD participants more resilient between 2019 and 2021
© IFAD/Ibrahima Kebe Diallo
By building resilience, rural people can better endure crises
Context
In an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world, crises – from pandemics, to conflict, to climate change – can push rural people into poverty and erase fragile development gains.
For the most vulnerable people, a bad harvest, price fluctuations or natural disasters can create a setback from which they find it almost impossible to recover. Weak institutions often struggle to adequately support. When people are hungry or natural resources are limited, the risk of conflict and violence increases. All of this, in turn, exacerbates the impact of crises, leading to a self-reinforcing cycle of poverty and vulnerability.
That’s why resilience – or the ability to withstand or recover from difficulties – is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. And that’s why IFAD supports small-scale producers and rural communities in fragile contexts to prepare for, recover from and cope with crises.
Opportunities
When rural people are resilient, they can earn a living and feed their communities, even in fragile contexts. If disaster or crisis hits, they are more able to recover.
Investments in agriculture and rural development build stability, strengthen food security, break the cycle of fragility and prevent violence.
IFAD has a unique responsibility to support local production and livelihood systems in fragile situations. We are crucial partners in supporting poor rural people to improve their incomes, nutrition, food security and well-being.
This requires striking a balance between long-term development and responding to shorter term crises.
What IFAD does
In fragile contexts and during crises, IFAD’s efforts are guided by four principles:
- Building long-term resilience: For example, in West and Central Africa, a project combined social, technical and financial community work to improve people’s resilience to conflict, institutional instability and climate change.
- Focusing on prevention: In Brazil, our project supports communities as they adapt to climate change by promoting drought-resistant crops, developing early warning systems and strengthening local institutions. By diversifying incomes, communities are less vulnerable to economic shocks.
- Doing no harm: IFAD identifies potential harms that may arise as a result of our work and we determine how to prevent or mitigate them.
- Remaining engaged: Even when countries are unable to meet their obligations, IFAD does what it can to continue providing support to rural people. For example, when Somalia was in arrears with IFAD, we mobilized supplementary funds from donors so we could remain engaged in the country until its arrears were cleared.
Quick links
Guided by these principles, IFAD addresses the causes of fragility by:
- Strengthening local institutions: We develop the capacity of organizations and institutions so rural people can overcome social, political and economic barriers. In Senegal, a collaboration with the national platform for farmers’ organizations allows farmers to give direct feedback.
- Increasing food and nutrition security through investments in food systems: Growth has slowed in recent years due to various factors. This has made it harder for low- and middle-income countries to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals, including zero hunger. Our investments mean progress on achieving these continues.
- Improving natural resource management: We do this using an integrated approach that empowers rural communities to participate in managing the productive resources they depend on, including land and water.
- Boosting the role of rural women and vulnerable groups: We empower marginalised groups and enable them to make strategic life choices. This advances equality and builds sustainable, resilient and inclusive rural economies.
Experts
Yukta Kumar
Senior Specialist (Fragility), Fragility Unit, Department of Country Operations
[email protected]Ibrahima Tonton Cisse
Specialist (Fragility), Fragility Unit, Department of Country Operations
[email protected]Keep exploring
