Knowledge

This briefing note provides a background of the Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool and case studies from projects in Kenya and Eswatini.

This paper argues that food systems transformation should incorporate a dietary perspective that is guided by information on diets, dietary trends, consumer motives, and the food environment characteristics.

This background paper examines the linkages and interactions between women’s empowerment, food systems, and nutrition.

This paper provides a framework for assessing the dynamics of rural wellbeing and food systems change.

This brief lays out the key elements of IFAD’s response to the global impacts of the war in Ukraine. Our goal is to protect the development gains and livelihoods of poor rural people, while reinforcing their resilience, focusing on the poorest and most affected countries. 

Greening our food systems to deliver healthier and more nutritious food sustainably cannot be done without financially empowered agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (agri-SMEs).

Faced with a triple health, economic, and social crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, Farmers’ Organizations (FOs) have been called on by members and partners to play a variety of roles in response to the crisis.

This article reviews how food system activities contribute to climate change and how dietary changes affect food systems. It shows that while emissions from food production are increasing in most regions, emissions from land use change are decreasing.

This paper shows that while anticipated increases in food demand by 2050 can largely be met regionally, potential yield increases or diversification will not contribute automatically to inclusive rural transformation. Instead, urbanization may potentially increase rural inequality and poverty.

Although the importance of inclusion in food system transformation is gaining traction, this paper argues that recent research and discourse on the topic is insufficient and that specific actions are needed to ensure that this transformation does not take place on the backs of the rural poor.

This toolbox provides guidelines on how to design and assess food biodiversity and dietary diversity projects with local communities, with the aim of improving the diets and nutrition of Indigenous Peoples.

Since 1981, IFAD has financed 19 rural development programmes and projects in Rwanda, for a total amount of US$358.04 million, and directly benefiting about 1,540,157 rural households.

Since 1979, IFAD has invested US$455.09 million in 20 programmes and projects in Kenya (at a total cost of US$980.31 million), in support of the Government’s efforts to reduce rural poverty.

This policy brief explains what FPIC is, how IFAD seeks FPIC, and examples of how IFAD and indigenous peoples are working together with FPIC.

Resilient Food Systems (RFS) promotes a holistic approach to enhancing agricultural productivity and restoring degraded landscapes in smallholder farming systems. This report showcases the achievements and innovations of the programme across 12 countries in 2021.

This report documents how GIS methods and secondary data can be used as a complementary set of tools to conduct impact assessments when in-person interviews are not possible.

The Agricultural Value Chains Development Programme (PADFA) seeks to improve post-harvest activities (packaging, storage, processing and marketing) for rice, vegetables, and mango in Côte d’Ivoire.

This glossary provides standardized terms in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish in order to share knowledge and widen understanding of nutrition.

Based on the work of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development over the last two years, this white paper presents a set of responses and priorities for donor engagement and a menu of options for future donor commitments.

Using country-level data from 85 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), this paper outlines a food systems index (FSI) and analyses the linkages between food systems and structural and rural transformation, as well as population distributions.

This paper explores the prospects for a food system index (FSI) capturing several key components that influence differences in food system performance at the country level.

This paper highlights five fundamental paradigm shifts that are required to overcome trade-offs and build synergies between health and nutrition, inclusive livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and food system resilience.

This report looks at how the EU and IFAD have leveraged the partnership to develop new approaches that scale up actions to drive innovation in public-private sector partnerships, financing models, and pro-poor agricultural research, as well as supporting farmers’ networks.

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is one of the countries with the largest number of different ethnic groups in the world. The history of these ethnic groups extends beyond human memory.

Internationally, the ‘Scheduled Tribes’ (STs) of India are generally referred to as ‘Indigenous Peoples (IPs)’. However, the Government of India emphatically rejects equating Scheduled Tribes (STs) with IPs even while abiding by the operational directives of bilateral and multilateral agencies with regard to IPs while operationalising projects with their financial aid.

This note provides practical guidance on how to roll out the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) for IFAD-funded projects.

This How-to-do note outlines how an internal knowledge gap mapping exercise can be put together to derive meaningful inferences.

This  catalogue features innovative geospatial tools and real life case studies from IFAD’s operations, to give a flavour of how and where IFAD uses such technology. 

Since 1979, IFAD has funded 17 rural development projects in Madagascar for a total of US$434.285 million. Four projects are currently ongoing.

This brief describes how an IFAD-GEF project promotes sustainable peatland management, secure carbon stocks, and conservation of biodiversity, while improving the living standards of local communities.

This policy note discusses how China could further advance its food and agricultural development model, making it greener, more sustainable, and more inclusive.

This policy note discusses the challenges and opportunities for China to update its development model to reflect the new context. It suggests three priority areas and nine policy actions which China should focus on.

The IFAD Development Practices Community shares ideas, good practices, tools and lessons to enhance the effectiveness of development projects and better address the needs of the people IFAD serves.

EvalForward is a Community of Practice on Evaluation for Food Security, Agriculture and Rural Development.

This brief raises awareness about water harvesting systems and describes the design of water harvesting interventions. It aims to inform stakeholders on the assessment of water demand, water available for harvesting, and the selection of suitable water harvesting systems.

The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach is adopted in the vast majority of projects funded by IFAD in sub-Saharan Africa. Through this stocktaking, we analyse the extent to which the FFS approach helped peasant farmers engage in collective action, band together, and become more autonomous in responding to the problems they face.

Understanding market demand is a critical step in the process of developing solutions to meet the risk management needs of rural poor people, particularly with regard to insurance.

This report offers a consolidated analysis of pre-COVID food security and nutrition challenges across the Pacific Islands and outlines key actions needed to respond to the current impacts, inform medium- to long-term recovery planning, and better prepare for future crises.

This infographic presents highlights of IFAD’s work in 2021. 

The purpose of this strategy is to facilitate a more systematic, organized and generalized integration of the protection, sustainable use and promotion of biodiversity in IFAD operations.

This document is an overview of the lessons learned from a project on “Scaling up rural youth access to inclusive financial services for entrepreneurship and employment” in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

This study examines how behavioural barriers and biases perpetuate the gender gap and explores how behavioural science can reduce such barriers and biases.

Post-Tsunami Sustainable Livelihoods Programme for the Coastal Communities of Tamil Nadu, India, 2007-2020.

This synthesis draws on 17 recent IFAD Impact Assessments conducted in various countries and production systems to analyse project activities and theories of change.

This report examines the factors that have contributed to the resilience of remittances during the pandemic.

Agriculture is the largest economic sector in Asia and the Pacific region, providing livelihoods to more than 266 million workers. Therefore, examining the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this sector is crucial for securing the livelihoods of rural people in the region and preventing a food crisis in countries that are already experiencing food and nutrition security challenges.

This paper captures and synthesizes key approaches, strategies and lessons for empowering rural youth in the Asia-Pacific region from farmers’ organizations (FOs) and regional and international development agencies.

A space for sharing lessons learned and good practices, which are essential elements for the sustainable development of rural territories.

The Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021 gathers the latest data on the food security and nutrition situation in Latin America and the Caribbean region, showing a worrisome landscape.

This study takes stock of these experiences in an effort to contribute to building up the evidence base to help inform the future strategy and design of similar programmatic interventions.