Boosting incomes and protecting the environment – IFAD and Government of Peru assess achievements of joint project

What: Martín Vizcarra, President of Peru, and Rossana Polastri, Director of the Latin America and the Caribbean Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to chair the closing of the Sierra y Selva Alta Project (PSSA) which has successfully raised incomes, economically empowered women and youth, and helped farmers mitigate the impact of climate change.

When: Tuesday, 3 December 2019, 10am

Where: Concha Acústica del Campo de Marte, Jesús María, Lima

Who: Other participants include: Jorge Luis Montenegro, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation; Jesús Quintana, IFAD's Country Director for Peru; and project beneficiaries. The event will also feature stands that showcase the achievements of various producers’ associations who have received financing and technical assistance from the project.

The story: The lives of almost 40,000 rural families have changed due to the PSSA, with the average monthly income of its beneficiaries more than doubling.  Thousands of women have been economically empowered and more than 2,000 young people now have access to financial services. Investments in soil conservation and reforestation initiatives allow family farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The US$36.4 million project (of which IFAD has contributed $19.9 million and the Peruvian government $16.4 million) was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI) through the agency Agrorural in 85 districts of the departments of Amazonas, Cajamarca, Lima and San Martín.

Polastri, a Peruvian national, will visit Peru from 2-6 December to further strengthen joint efforts with the Government of Peru to fight rural poverty, increase food security and ensure smallholder farmers make a greater contribution to the country’s economy.

Since 1980, IFAD has financed 10 rural development projects in the country for a total amount of $170.4 million. These projects have improved the quality of life, income and market access of 187,000 families in some of Peru’s poorest rural areas.

(Please note that, in the case President Vizcarra’s agenda varies, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Jorge Luis Montenegro will co-chair the event together with IFAD’s LAC Director Rossana Polastri)

For more information on the event and IFAD’s investments and activities in Peru, contact:

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IFAD/18/2019 MA

IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided US$21.5 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached about 491 million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency based in Rome – the United Nations’ food and agriculture hub.