Hunger and extreme poverty rates have remained high in recent years and show little sign of receding drastically by 2030. As global alliances, priorities and development financing become more complex and uncertain, and climate change continues to accelerate, tackling agricultural and rural development challenges requires renewed action, strategic focus, and innovative thinking and financial instruments. In January, African leaders adopted the 2025 Kampala Declaration setting the African Union’s agrifood systems strategy for the next 10 years.
IFAD President Alvaro Lario will share his insights on how to broker and channel financing to rural areas and his vision to accelerate rural development despite numerous challenges.
On the back of a devastating drought in Southern Africa and persistent malnutrition on the continent, King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho will provide his unique perspective on the country’s approach to tackling food insecurity. A “state of National Food Insecurity Disaster” was declared last July and more than 400,000 people are expected to experience crisis levels of acute hunger through March 2025.
The President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, will speak from his experience of leading a country coming out of a decades-long civil war - from fragility to prosperity. He is keen to advocate on behalf of Africa in its journey to develop with self-determination, dialogue and cooperation.
Dayana Dokera Domico, is a Colombian indigenous and youth activist and the leader of the Emberá People. Actively involved in peace talks in the country, she will call for investments to end hunger and poverty, seeking equitable solutions that are driven by the indigenous communities themselves, that help communities adapt to climate change, respect traditional indigenous knowledge and safeguard biodiversity and natural resources.
Hunger and poverty are most entrenched in rural areas of developing countries where nearly half of the global population lives. Yet, small-scale farmers produce one third of the world’s food and seventy per cent of the food consumed in low- and middle-income countries. Despite their strategic importance, rural areas suffer from chronic underinvestment.