IFAD at a glance

IFAD is the only multilateral development institution that focuses exclusively on transforming rural economies and food systems. It works in remote regions of developing countries and fragile situations, where few aid agencies or international financial institutions venture.

Most of the world’s poorest and hungry people live in rural areas. IFAD invests in the very people most likely to be left behind: poor small-scale producers, women, youth, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. Investing in rural areas promotes prosperity, food security and resilience. Economic growth in agriculture is two to three times more effective at reducing poverty and food insecurity than growth in other sectors.

IFAD acts as a catalyst for increasing public and private investments in agriculture and the development of rural enterprises. It places poor rural women and men at the centre of its activities and involves them as participants in project design and implementation.