Specialized Activities
We specialize in activities needed for inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable rural and food system transformation.
"It invests in the millions of rural people who are most at risk of being left behind: poor, small-scale food producers, women, young people, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups living in rural areas.
It targets low income and lower middle income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, but also provides support to address stubborn pockets of poverty in upper-middle income countries. IFAD works in remote areas, and in difficult contexts of food insecurity, environmental stresses and fragility."
Since 1978, IFAD has been a leader in people-centred rural and agricultural development.
We specialize in activities needed for inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable rural and food system transformation.
IFAD partners with governments, other financial institutions, the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and rural people and their organizations in nearly 100 countries where we currently have investments.
IFAD-supported projects are embedded in a strategic approach aligned with government development strategies.
of 201 million small-scale producers
of 111 million project participants
of 264 million rural women and men by at least 20 per cent.
To foster inclusive growth that reaches those most in need, larger investments in areas such as major infrastructure have been complemented with efforts to spur “growth from below” - investments at community-level in small and medium enterprises, in small-scale producers and in the rural non-farm economy.
Additional targeted actions need to be taken in countries in which rural poverty and food insecurity remain significant.
These actions must be carried out at the grassroots level, if they are to stand a chance of reaching the poorest and most marginalized people with the resources and skills they need.
have been reached by the programme
have been brought under climate-resilient agricultural techniques
have an improved access to water for production and processing
are supported to manage climate risks
in climate resilient-infrastructure
will build on these successes, focusing on low-income countries, particularly those in debt distress and in fragile settings.
Public-private-producer partnerships (the 4Ps approach) can lead to expanded and improved services and market access for poor small-scale producers.
IFAD is developing a new financial architecture to dramatically step up its impact and capacity to assist countries most in need. This includes grant-based targeted investments, strengthened risk management, greater leveraging and new financial instruments such as a Private Sector Financing Programme (PSFP). It also includes the Rural Poor Stimulus Facility, to help the most vulnerable and marginalized people survive the crisis and to accelerate the recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic.
Rural people – small-scale farmers, rural women, youth, indigenous peoples –need support and investment now to improve their lives and to build prosperity, food security and resilience for themselves and their communities. They play key roles in sustainably producing food for the world, while managing the world’s richest sources of biodiversity and adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change.
