Knowledge

Search Results Filters

Search Results

Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests - Implications for IFAD

February 2014

Following an inclusive consultation and negotiation process, which involved more than 70 countries, international organizations, and representatives of the civil society and the private sector, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGs) were officially endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security on 11 May 2012. The VGs set out principles, technical recommendations and practices for improving the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests. They promote secure tenure rights and equitable access to these resources as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and protecting the environment. They give recommendations to countries and to other key actors, who are strongly encouraged to adopt and use them on a voluntary basis.

Partnership in progress: 2012-2013 – Volume 2 Annexes

January 2014
Annexes (Volume 2) of the Partnership in Progress: 2012-2013.

Investing in rural people in Benin

January 2014
Depuis 1981, le FIDA a financé 12 projets et programmes au Burkina Faso pour un montant total de 158,6 millions de dollars des États-Unis. 

Annual report on investigative and anti-corruption activities 2013

January 2014

The Office of Audit and Oversight (AUO) and its Investigation Section (IS) are mandated to investigate alleged irregular practices in IFAD activities and operations. This mandate stems from the AUO Charter, the IFAD Human Resources rules and Code of Conduct, and the IFAD Policy on Preventing Fraud and Corruption in its Activities and Operations. IFAD’s investigative and anticorruption activities aim to ensure that development funds reach intended beneficiaries in the most efficient, effective and transparent manner possible and that IFAD staff adhere to the ethical and integrity standards set by the Fund. The number of new complaints received in 2013 was slightly higher than in 2012 (39 against 33 in 2012). There was an increase in the number of external fraud allegations, particularly in procurement, as well as in the number of staff-related cases. In 2013, AUO successfully closed 41 cases, including several complex allegations, and disciplinary measures or sanctions were applied in six cases: five internal and one external.

Family Poultry Development - issues, opportunities and constraints. Working Paper

January 2014

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are funding a number of projects developed to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to improving food security, income generation and women’s empowerment, while respecting traditional knowledge and socio-cultural values. 

Family poultry production plays an essential role in some of these projects.

Partnership in progress: 2012-2013 – Overview & Conclusions

January 2014

This report is the most comprehensive attempt in IFAD for  taking stock of the different experiences in collaborating with FOs and identifying the emergence of regional trends.

This provides the starting point for scaling-up and broadening successful approaches in other countries and contexts.

The report analyses the modalities of the ongoing partnership over the biennium 2012-2013, highlighting successful stories and achievements within IFAD country programmes and grant portfolio. 

Partnership in progress: 2012-2013 – Volume I: Main Report

January 2014

This report is the most comprehensive attempt in IFAD for taking stock of the different experiences in collaborating with FOs and identifying the emergence of regional trends.

This provides the starting point for scaling-up and broadening successful approaches in other countries and contexts. The report analyses the modalities of the ongoing partnership over the biennium 2012-2013, highlighting successful stories and achievements within IFAD country programmes and grant portfolio.

The report is based on the results of a survey completed by IFAD country programme managers, interviews with relevant IFAD staff and an indepth desk review of documents concerning ongoing and new projects, as well as selected regional grants and country programmes. 

IFAD and public-private partnerships - selected project experiences

December 2013
These case studies present IFAD’s experiences in building PPPs in country projects and programmes around the world, from which we draw conclusions, lessons learned and the way forward.

Swaziland - Lower Usuthu smallholder irrigation project

December 2013
The overall objective of the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) is the 1.reduction of poverty and sustained improvement in the standard of living of the population in the Lower Usuthu Basin through commercialization and intensification of agriculture. The immediate objectives of LUSIP Phase I were: (a) the integration of smallholder farmers into the commercial economy through the provision of irrigation infrastructure, development of the policy and legal framework for smallholder irrigation, as well as the establishment of farmer-managed irrigation institutions; and (b) sustainable improvement in environmental health in the project area to ensure that the population derives the full benefits of agricultural commercialisation.

A guided overview of IFAD financial management practices and procedures

November 2013

In order to improve your knowledge in this key area, make sure you consult our new e-learning course.

Jr/Sr twinning project: Flash News

November 2013

Flash News for the IMI-funded project “Filling the intergenerational gap in knowledge on Agricultural Water Management: twinning Junior and Senior Experts”.

Gender and rural development brief - Near East and North Africa

November 2013
Gender and rural development brief with specific focus on the Near East and North Africa.

Preparación jurídica para el cambio climático y el fomento al desarrollo rural en México

November 2013
En la actualidad Latinoamérica presenta diferentes retos para promover el desarrollo rural de sus comunidades, combatir la escasez de agua y garantizar su seguridad alimentaria. En los últimos años, México ha sufrido una serie de eventos hidrometeorológicos que han generado graves daños sociales y económicos que requieren de importantes inversiones para permitir a las regiones afectadas regresar a su condición habitual. Esto ha hecho evidente la gran vulnerabilidad del país así como la importancia que juega la capacidad de adaptación de la nación o en otras palabras, la resiliencia del país.

Mainstreaming policy dialogue: from vision to action - workshop summary report

October 2013
Summary report on the workshop "Mainstreaming policy dialogue: from vision to action" organized by LAC and PTA on 17 October 2013.

Enabling the rural poor to overcome poverty in Jordan

October 2013

IFAD has committed US$71.4 million in loans to Jordan since 1981 to support agricultural development and reduce rural poverty. The funds have been used in six agricultural development programmes and projects with a total value of US$189.3 million. 

The Government of Jordan and project participants have contributed US$63.2 million. The programmes and
projects are designed by IFAD in collaboration with rural people, the government and other partners. They address poverty through promotion of sustainable natural resource management, particularly water and soil conservation. A seventh project is being designed.

Gender and rural development brief - Pacific Islands

October 2013
Gender and rural development brief with specific focus on the Pacific Islands.

Towards a Plan for Country-Level Policy Dialogue. Discussion Paper

September 2013

This paper seeks to draw on both the positive aspects of current practice and the critiques that have been made, to propose an action plan for strengthening IFAD’s engagement in country level policy dialogue.

It outlines a set of broad principles underpinning IFAD’s approach, the first of which is the reaffirmation that policy engagement must be shaped and led by the CPM.

It also makes specific proposals for more effectively integrating country-level policy dialogue in IFAD country programmes; for improving IFAD’s monitoring, reporting and knowledge management on the subject; and for strengthening in-house capacity for country-level policy dialogue.  

Country-level policy engagement-opportunity and necessity

September 2013

Describes what IFAD and the Policy and Technical Advisory division are supporting country-level policy engagement.

It also summarizes past experience and explains how Country Programme Managers can access funds to engage in country-level policy dialogue.

Project for Market and Pasture Management

August 2013
An IFAD Supervision Mission visited the project from 20th June to 5th July 2013. The main 1.objectives of the supervision mission are to ensure that the development objectives of the projects are being met and to satisfy IFAD‟s fiduciary responsibilities, with a focus on: (i) assessment of the implementation progress of the project, including assessment of the achievement of outputs by component and outcome as per the logframe of the project; (ii) assistance to identify and remove implementation bottlenecks and constraints; and (iii) agree on a set of actions to be implemented by the project in the next six to twelve months period.

Down to earth:Sustainable rural transformation

August 2013
Today’s world is full of paradoxes, some of them grotesque – none more so than the fact that while 870 million people go hungry every day, a third of all food is lost or wasted. We marvel at the growth rates of middle-income countries, yet some of those countries are home to tens of millions of very poor people. About 75 per cent of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas and mainly derive their livelihoods from agriculture, while producing over 80 per cent of the food consumed in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. Yet many are themselves net buyers of food.

Small-scale producers in the development of coffee value chain partnerships

July 2013
Brochure illustrating IFAD's support to coffee value-chain development.

Small-scale producers in the development of tea value chain partnership

July 2013
Small-scale producers in the development of tea value chain partnerships 

Small-scale producers in the development of cocoa value chain partnership

July 2013
Brochure illustrating IFAD's support to cocoa value-chain development.

Occasional paper 4: The importance of scaling up for agricultural and rural development

July 2013
The thesis of this article is that governments of countries that plan their agricultural and rural development programmes on a large scale – typically covering the entire agriculture sector and including all or most of the important ingredients for agricultural growth and rural development – do better in terms of agricultural production and reduction of rural poverty and hunger than do country governments that do not invest broadly and at scale in such development.

IFAD Annual Report 2012

June 2013
Read about IFAD's results and impact in the 2012 Annual Report. The Report also tells the stories of the women and men we work with in rural areas – their challenges and their successes. This year's Report showcases IFAD's new directions and new initiatives, which are helping to increase food security and reduce rural poverty across the developing world. And it provides the facts and figures that the Fund regularly shares with its Members States and partners. 

Securing smallholder farmers’ land and water rights in irrigation schemes in Malawi, Rwanda and Swaziland

June 2013

IFAD and UN-Habitat, through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), have entered into a partnership to implement the „Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA)‟. 

The initiative aims to improve knowledge management strategies and approaches towards pro-poor and gender-sensitive land and natural resource tenure rights in selected East and Southern African countries. 

Filling the inter-generational gap in knowledge on Agricultural Water Management: twinning Junior and Senior Experts

June 2013
The Jr/Sr twinning project was developed in the context of IFAD‟s Initiative for Mainstreaming Innovation. The project seeks to enhance IFAD's capacity to promote innovations that will have a positive impact on rural poverty: testing new methodologies to respond to old and new challenges with new solutions.  

Fighting rural poverty - the role of ICTs

June 2013

What can information and communication technologies (ICTs) do for the world's 900 million extremely poor people who live in rural area? The question is crucial to the fight to enable rural poor people to overcome poverty.

Findings of four case studies conducted by indigenous people on IFAD-funded projects in Asia and the Pacific - a Regional Overview

June 2013
Based on the successful experience in 2005 in reviewing the IFAD-funded projects with indigenous peoples by indigenous experts, independent studies were conducted on selected IFAD-funded projects in each region. The studies on IFAD-funded projects with indigenous peoples are aimed to support IFAD in enhancing its development effectiveness in its engagement with indigenous peoples. In general, the case studies:
a) Identified existing policies and institutions, good practices, key success factors and innovations in selected on-going IFAD-funded projects with indigenous peoples with a potential for scaling up and replication;
b) Assessed the implementation of the IFAD Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples in IFAD-funded projects taking into account that the selected project has been approved before the approval of the policy; and,
c) Identified challenges and suggested areas of improvement in strengthening partnership between IFAD and indigenous peoples in order to address poverty and sustainable development with culture and identity.

FFR Brief - Five years of the Financing Facility for Remittances

June 2013

This document reports on the remarkable achievements of the Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) in its five years of operation. It provides an overview of the importance of remittances to development, the strategy that the Facility has adopted to date, and the lessons. 

The FFR Brief learned from the innovative projects it has financed. Looking forward, the report highlights the tremendous opportunities offered by large-scale distribution networks, adoption of new technologies, mobilization of migrant capital and partnering with the private sector. Each chapter has been designed to be readable as a stand-alone discussion of the specific topic area it addresses. As a number of projects resulted in lessons learned in multiple areas, projects may be mentioned more than once, and their impact in each topic area will be discussed separately.

Sending money home to Asia: trends and opportunities in the world's largest remittance marketplace

June 2013
This report is an executive summary of a forthcoming compilation of studies on remittances to Asia and the Pacific. The findings are based on a series of studies commissioned by IFAD and carried out by Developing Markets Associates, the Inter-American Dialogue (IAD), the World Bank and the World Savings Bank Institute, and studies and analyses undertaken by the World Bank. 

Proceedings of the first global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD

June 2013

This report summarizes the first global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD in February 2013. 

The report provides an overview of the main messages conveyed, the key topics discussed, the recommendations put forward by indigenous peoples’ representatives and the regional action plans jointly agreed upon by IFAD and indigenous participants. 

For those interested in learning  more, the report provides links to background documents, case studies, videos, photos, interviews and further reading. 

Support to Farmers’Organizations in Africa Programme (SFOAP) - Main Phase 2013-2017

June 2013

This brief paper presents the main phase of SFOAP (2013-2015). 

During this period the Programme will help African FOs to evolve into more stable, performing and accountable organizations that effectively represent their members and advise them on farming enterprises. 

Integrated GEF grant (Trust Fund) - Participatory control of desertification and poverty reduction in the arid and semi-arid high plateau ecosystems of Eastern Morocco

June 2013

Méthodes innovantes d’amélioration sylvo-pastorale: Le cas du projet de lutte participative contre la désertification et de réduction de la pauvreté dans les écosystèmes arides et semi-arides des hauts plateaux de l’Oriental au Maroc.

Scaling up programs for the rural poor: IFAD’s experience, lessons and prospects (phase 2)

April 2013
This paper summarizes the results of the IFAD Institutional Scaling Up Review (Phase 2), which was conducted under a grant from IFAD to the Brookings Institution.

Managing forests, sustaining lives, improving livelihoods of indigenous peoples and ethnic groups in the Mekong region, Asia

March 2013

This paper presents the Learning Route, ‘Managing Forests, Sustaining Lives, Improving Livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Groups in the Mekong Region’, undertaken in November 2012 by PROCASUR and AIPP with the support of IFAD. 

It describes the Learning Route process, outputs and outcomes, as well as lessons learned, in addition to two case studies – one in Lao PDR and the other in Thailand – of community-based forest management, communal land titles and sustainable livelihoods. 

The document also provides a general overview of the land tenure system and its effect on the traditional livelihoods of indigenous peoples and ethnic groups in Asia, with particular focus on Lao PDR and Thailand.  

Strengthening institutions and organizations

March 2013
An analysis of lessons learnt from field application of IFAD’s sourcebook on institutional and organizational analysis for pro-poor change.

République du Niger: Note technique par pays sur les populations autochtones

February 2013

La République du Niger a une population multi-ethnique, parmi laquelle, les Touareg, les Peulh et les Toubou s‘auto-identifient comme autochtones.

IFAD and the private sector - building links to accelerate pro-poor rural development

February 2013

IFAD’s experience shows that, with the right support, rural communities can transform their existence in a sustainable way. Supporting the development and ownership of a viable private sector in rural areas plays a fundamental part.

We have always supported the rural private sector, providing primarily small- scale operators with financial and technical assistance to help them
improve their livelihoods.

Enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty in Mauritius

February 2013

IFAD and the Government of Mauritius are moving towards a new form of partnership that differs from the standard model for low-income countries, which was followed in Mauritius until 2005. 

IFAD recognizes that the country now has sufficient national resources to address rural poverty, so the focus of interventions has shifted from financing projects towards developing a collaborative approach with the government to reduce the incidence of poverty.

This approach includes policy dialogue, knowledge management and sharing, and partnership-building.

Enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty in Seychelles

February 2013

IFAD first worked in Seychelles in 1991, when it began financing the Employment Generation Project, which was completed six years later.
More recently, stakeholders from Seychelles have participated in activities funded by an ongoing IFAD grant, which supports the Regional Initiative for Smallholder Agriculture Adaptation to Climate Change in the Indian Ocean Islands. This initiative is creating a regional knowledge-management platform on adaptation strategies for small-scale farmers.

The platform actively disseminates information on conservation agriculture practices such as farming with low or zero tillage, as well as composting, integrating livestock and farming activities, and other environmentally sustainable measures.

Farmers’ Africa - Complementary actions for the benefit of African producers

February 2013

Farmers’ Africa is a capacity-building programme that aims to improve the livelihoods and food security of rural producers in Africa. It works with farmers’ organizations (FOs) to help them evolve into more stable, performing and accountable organizations that effectively represent their members and advise them on farming enterprises. 

The programme supports the main functions of FOs, promotes their engagement in policy processes and contributes to their professionalization. It also supports the efforts of FOs to provide economic services to their members. The total cost of the programme is estimated at EUR 40 million over five years and includes an overall contribution of EUR 26.9 million from the European Union (EU). 

Documento de Síntesi buenas prácticas en proyectos enfocados a pueblos indígenas y afro-decendientes del FIDA el América Latina

January 2013

El Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), ha definido como misión el diseño de herramientas que aporten a la construcción de capacidades para el empoderamiento de la población rural como ruta para mejorar su calidad de vida, a través de procesos de autodesarrollo.

Dentro de la población rural los pueblos indígenas, se identifican en contexto con más desventajas en relación a acceso a servicios básicos y recursos necesarios para salir de la pobreza, sumado a la situación de exclusión histórica y negación de sus derechos a la cual han estado enfrentados.

Como respuesta a esto, se define la Política de Actuación en relación a Pueblos Indígenas, que tienen como fin que los procesos de desarrollo impulsados desde el FIDA tengan mayor efectividad, la cual cuenta con procedimientos, instrumentos y mecanismos para su aplicación.

Política de Actuación en relación con Pueblos Indígenas - FIDA Caso Guatemala_PRODENORTE 2012

January 2013

La Sistematización de Buenas Practicas del Programa Desarrollo Rural Sustentable para la Región del Norte -PRODENORTE- se constituye en un aprendizaje colectivo y de beneficio para la población indígena de los pueblos mayas Q´eqchi´, Pocomchi´, Achi y Ki´che´.

El programa se desarrolla bajo los lineamientos descritos en el Programa Sobre Oportunidades Estratégicas Nacionales del FIDA, COSOP 2008-2013. 

Annual report on investigative and anti-corruption activities 2012

January 2013

FAD’s investigative and anticorruption activities aim to ensure that development funds reach intended beneficiaries in the most efficient, effective and transparent manner possible. Fraud and corruption divert resources away from the people who need them most. The goal of the IFAD Policy on Preventing Fraud and Corruption in its Activities and Operations (EB 2005/85/R.5/Rev.1) is the prevention of fraud and corruption within the Fund itself and in activities financed by IFAD at local, national, regional and international levels.

The Office of Audit and Oversight (AUO) and its Investigation Section (IS) have been mandated to investigate alleged irregular practices, namely: (i) fraud and corruption, in relation to entities, contractors and non-staff individuals applying for or participating in an IFAD-financed project or headquarters-related contract; and (ii) staff misconduct. 

Supporting Small-Scale Producers of Certified Sustainable Products

January 2013

The rapid growth in consumer demand for sustainable agricultural products represents an enormous opportunity for small-scale farmers and producers in developing countries.

To help them seize this and other opportunities, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funds a range of projects in rural areas. A growing number of projects support smallholder production of commodities that are certified under programmes such as Fairtrade, Organic, UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance, including:

• Cocoa and coffee in Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra Leone

• Fruits in the South Pacific and Madagascar

• Cosmetic and medicinal plants in India and Southern Africa.

Agricultural value chain finance strategy and design

November 2012

This technical note serves as a guide to the design of appropriate programme interventions that apply value chain financing approaches to the development of competitive agricultural value chains. 

It emphasizes interventions that promote financial inclusiveness and the overall development goals of governments, as well as those of technical and funding agencies.

Gender and Water - Security water for rural livelihoods - The multiple-uses system approach

November 2012
This review examines the impact of water-related projects on women, women’s role in managing water resources and the constraints women face in gaining access to water. It highlights the innovative activities and catalysts that have helped to address gender issues in water programmes and projects. 

Flexi Biogas systems: inexpensive, renewable energy for developing countries

November 2012

The most common type of biogas system, and the most widely adopted in China and India, is a fixed dome system. Its construction requires skilled technical expertise and complex logistics, making installation expensive and time-consuming. Fixed dome systems are permanent installations, so secure land tenure is a prerequisite. These challenges make it difficult to adopt fixed dome systems in developing countries, particularly in Africa. As a result, many systems have failed and adoption rates have been low.

Another type of biogas system, manufactured in Kenya, is Flexi Biogas, a flexible above- ground system that is simpler and less costly to build and operate. This system does not require agitation and the digester is not a sealed tank but simply a 6m x 3m plastic bag made of PVC tarpaulin.
For more information please click on the link below.

Indigenous peoples - valuing, respecting and supporting diversity

October 2012
Indigenous peoples have rich and ancient cultures and view their social, economic, environmental and spiritual systems as interdependent. They make valuable contributions to the world’s heritage thanks to their traditional knowledge and their understanding of ecosystem management. But indigenous peoples are also among the world’s most vulnerable, marginalized and disadvantaged groups. We must ensure that their voices are heard, their rights respected, and their well-being improved.

Manuel de suivi et d’entretien des petits barrages en Mauritanie

October 2012
Un des enjeux majeurs auquel l’humanité sera confrontée au cours de ce nouveau millénaire, est sans conteste la gestion durable des ressources en eau face aux demandes pressantes d’une population sans cesse croissante. 

Transforming Agricultural Development and Production in Africa. Closing Gender Gaps and Empowering Rural Women in Policy and Practice

October 2012

Over 50 experts from more than 20 countries convened in Salzburg, Austria, in November 2011 for a special Dialogue for Action meeting entitled Transforming Agricultural Development and Production in Africa: Closing Gender Gaps and Empowering Rural Women in Policy and Practice. Designed to accelerate rural and agricultural development in Africa, the meeting focused on investment in women.

It was organized by the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) with support from the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)/Belgian Fund for Food Security (BFFS) Joint Programme. This report aims to reflect the complexity of the discussions that took place during the event and the outcome of those discussions.

Addressing poverty through mobilization of community resources

October 2012
In parts of Kenya, local communities have been empowered to take control of their own development. The success of the project rests on community involvement
and mobilization of local financial, natural and human resources.

Microinsurance Product Development for Microfinance Providers

October 2012

This document is intended to aid delivery channels, microfinance providers in particular, in working with insurance companies to develop successful microinsurance products for the low-income market. 

A systematic new-product development process is crucial to the success of microinsurance products for many reasons, including: Saving money – by maximizing the potential for product success; Saving management and staff time – by ensuring, within reason, that the product has market demand, and by working out staff and systems issues early in the process, when it is easier and cheaper to make changes; Generating goodwill in one’s market – by offering products that will not have to be withdrawn or substantially altered once they are offered throughout the market. The process outlined in this manual will help microinsurance developers create successful microinsurance products. ‘Success’ means meeting the needs of the three major parties in the microinsurance relationship: low-income policyholders, the insurer and delivery channels.

Process Mapping for Microinsurance Operations: A Toolkit for Understanding and Improving Business Processes and Client Value

October 2012

This manual is intended as an aid to microinsurance institutions. It presents a technique called ‘process mapping’ that can support institutions in self-analysis by assisting them in understanding, developing and improving business processes. Although the concepts presented may be used for many types of projects and processes, this manual was specifically developed as a supplement to Microinsurance product development for microfinance providers (McCord 2012).

The manual describes how a process map can be drawn, analysed and adapted for the microinsurance sector. It offers practical guidance about which processes to concentrate on, and guides the reader through the task of improving these processes, first on paper and then in practice. For more information please click on the link below.

Growing peace through development (2012)

October 2012
Development can nurture peace. The two go hand in hand. If we create programmes that help people overcome the barriers to their own development, we
give them a way to fight poverty and hunger instead of each other. We reduce the appeal of violent and destructive responses to conditions that are, admittedly,
intolerable. No one should go to sleep hungry. No one should see a child’s potential wither under malnutrition, illiteracy and hopelessness. No woman should be
denied access to resources just because she is not a man. No one should be denied a voice simply because it suits someone else to keep them silent.

Women and pastoralism

October 2012

The paper highlights the issues arising from the Global Gathering of Women Pastoralists (2010) which brought together over 100 women from herding communities across 32 different countries to discuss the challenges faced by pastoralist women and girls, and their potential opportunities.

It aims to support development practitioners in planning specific interventions and mainstreaming issues that potentially affect pastoralist women into the implementation stages of development initiatives. 

The paper is part of the IFAD Livestock Thematic Papers on Livestock and Pastoralists and Gender and Livestock, which offer an in-depth view of the broader context.

Livestock and Renewable Energy

October 2012

This Thematic Paper is part of a toolkit for development practitioners, created to support the design of appropriate livestock development interventions. It has been developed to assess existing synergies between livestock and the renewable energy sector and consider the potential benefits that could arise from their interactions, such as mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, environmental preservation (soil restoration), and availability of clean, affordable and reliable energy sources (e.g. biogas). 

The paper is divided into two sections. The first part looks at the livestock’s potential as a renewable energy source. Through, for example, the use of cost-effective technologies such as biogas systems that can stem methane emissions from livestock manure by recovering the gas and using it as an energy source in alternative to wood/charcoal or fossil fuel. 

The second part, given the climate change scenario, considers viable applications of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) addressed for small-scale farmers and livestock keepers at different levels of the value chain that can provide multifunctional benefits for households, community and environment. 

Matching grants - Technical Note

September 2012
This technical note aims to help project designers and reviewers of the design process to decide whether matching grants are the most appropriate financing instrument in a given context and what to consider when designing a matching grant component. The note focuses on use of these grants to finance productive assets and investments for business purposes. For more information please click on the lonk below.

Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. Policy brief

September 2012

What does gender equality look like? Gender equality exists where women and men have equal access to opportunities and services, equal control over resources, and an equal say in decisions at all levels. 

Evidence demonstrates that where gender equality is greater, there is higher economic growth and a better quality of life for all.

Access to markets: Making value chains work for poor rural people

September 2012
Strong links to markets for poor rural producers are essential to increasing agricultural production, generating economic growth in rural areas and reducing hunger and poverty. Improving these links creates a virtuous circle by boosting productivity, increasing incomes and strengthening food security.

World Water Day 2014 - Understanding the interdependency of water and energy

August 2012

Agriculture is a thirsty business, with irrigation alone accounting for about 70 per cent of freshwater withdrawals. 

Meeting demand from a world population expected to top 9 billion people by 2050 will require a 10 per cent increase in water for agricultural use. 

Enormous efforts will be needed to reduce water demand and improve water use efficiency.

Les petits barrages de décrue en Mauritanie: Recommandations pour la conception et la construction

July 2012

Ce manuel est un complément au “Manuel de suivi et d’entretien des petits barrages en Mauritanie” publié dans la même série.

IFAD Annual Report 2011

June 2012
In IFAD's 2011 Annual Report you can read the stories of determined women and men who have changed their lives and their communities with their own energy and initiative, plus support from some innovative rural development projects. This year's report also spotlights IFAD's work to help rural people adapt to the risks and ravages of climate change. The Annual Report tells IFAD's story for 2011, providing the facts and figures that the organization regularly shares with its Member States and partners around the world.

Caso de Estudio Programa de Desarrollo Rural en la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua, NICARIBE

June 2012

El presente estudio se basa en el análisis sobre la incorporación de los principios de actuación por los que ha de guiarse el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), en su labor con Pueblos Indígenas y Afrodescendientes. El Programa de Desarrollo Rural en la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua, NICARIBE, fue el proyecto de referencia para el análisis. 

NICARIBE es un programa que se implementa en siete territorios de Pueblos Indígenas y Afrodescendientes de la Costa Caribe, y tiene como meta mejorar los niveles de ingreso de 10,580 familias que viven en estos territorios, enfocando en el apoyo en el incremento de la producción, el manejo y aprovechamiento sostenible de los recursos naturales y fortalecimiento de sus organizaciones (territoriales y comunales) locales.

Land and natural resources in Kenya

June 2012

IFAD and UN-Habitat, through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), have entered into a partnership to implement the ‘Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA)’.

The initiative aims to improve knowledge management strategies and approaches towards pro-poor and gender-sensitive land and natural resource tenure rights in selected East and Southern African countries.

Land and natural resources in Mozambique

June 2012

IFAD and UN-Habitat, through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), have entered into a partnership to implement the „Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA)‟. 

The initiative aims to improve knowledge management strategies and approaches towards pro-poor and gender-sensitive land and natural resource tenure rights in selected East and Southern African countries.

Recognizing and Documenting Group Rights to Land and other Natural Resources

June 2012

Rural people generally need both secure individual rights to farm plots and secure collective rights to common pool resources on which whole villages depend. 

IFAD-supported projects and programmes have supported the recognition and documenting of group rights, focusing on range/grazing lands, forests and artisanal fishing communities. 

Securing land and natural resouce rights through business partnerships between small-scale farmers and investors

June 2012

IFAD and UN-Habitat, through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), have entered into a partnership to implement the ‘Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA)’. 

The initiative aims to improve knowledge management strategies and approaches towards pro-poor and gender-sensitive land and natural resource tenure rights in selected East and Southern African countries

Land and natural resources in Swaziland

June 2012

IFAD and UN-Habitat, through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), have entered into a partnership to implement the „Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA)‟. 

The initiative aims to improve knowledge management strategies and approaches towards pro-poor and gender-sensitive land and natural resource tenure rights in selected East and Southern African countries. 

Scaling up Microirrigation Systems - Outcome Report

June 2012
This factsheet presents the main outcomes of the Scampis project that aimed to improve the food security of 30,000 vulnerable smallholders in three countries through the use of micro-irrigation systems (MIS) and natural fertilizers and pesticides.

Land and Natural Resources Tenure Security Learning Initiative for East and Southern Africa

June 2012

This report provides an overview of the achievements and learning from the Phase 1 of the Tenure Security Learning Initiative - East & Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA) Project. 

It also looks ahead to strategies for scaling up initiatives, and to the second phase of the TSLI-ESA project.

Tanzania: Country Technical Note on Indigenous Peoples Issues

June 2012

The United Republic of Tanzania (URT) has a multi-ethnic population with more than 125 different ethnic communities. Four of these—the Hadzabe, the Akie, the Maasai and the Barabaig—identify themselves as indigenous peoples. 

Mapping land and natural resource rights, use and management

June 2012

Participatory mapping uses a range of tools including data collection tools, such as mental mapping, ground mapping, participatory sketch mapping, transect mapping and participatory 3-dimensional modelling. 

Recently participatory mapping initiatives have begun to use more technically advanced geographic information technologies, including Global Positioning Systems (GPS), aerial photos and use of remote-sensing images, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other digital computer-based technologies. 

IFAD supported projects and programmes are increasingly making use of these technologies for mapping land and natural resource rights, use and management.

Search Results Sort