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"Our first line of action against climate change, hunger and poverty is prosperous rural communities. Investing in small-scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs is the most effective way to unlock the immense potential of Africa’s agriculture and food systems for all," said Alvaro Lario, President IFAD heading to the G7 Agriculture Ministers meeting starting in Syracuse tomorrow.

In this episode, we dive into the innovations farmers are using to transform East and Southern Africa's food systems for the better.

Amid challenges like hunger, debt, inequality, and climate change, Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, urges world leaders at the UN's Summit of the Future in New York to “recognize that a lack of resources is not the greatest barrier – it is the political determination to invest in solutions at the scale needed".

IFAD, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan and two of Japan's leading companies, coffee manufacturer UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.,Ltd. and trading company Marubeni Corporation, launched a pilot project to support small-scale coffee producers in Tanzania to sustainably increase their production.

Thanks to a new participatory planning process, Mang village has become an example of sustainable, inclusive development in action – and its people have renewed reason for hope.

The Caribbean Development Bank and the IFAD have signed a landmark Agreement to enhance the effectiveness of project procurement processes. This Agreement, which applies to joint co-financed projects, is designed to simplify procurement procedures, reduce transaction costs, and improve project planning and execution across the Caribbean.

“G20 support is crucial for targeted investments and effective public policies that foster prosperous rural economies and strengthen family farming and food systems,” said Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, at the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting in Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

El FIDA y el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) profundizarán su trabajo conjunto, con foco en el sostenimiento de la seguridad alimentaria en las áreas rurales a través de la promoción de inversiones, la digitalización de la agricultura y el fortalecimiento de las cadenas de valor.

The Government of Niger and IFAD recently signed documents to bring additional financing to the Family Farming Development Programme in the regions of Maradi, Tahoua, Zinder (ProDAF MTZ) and for the Family Farming Development Programme in the regions of Diffa (ProDAF Diffa) respectively.

SSTC might sound like development jargon, but it’s a key driver of sustainable growth and innovation. Let’s unpack what the term means – and why it matters for rural people.

At a workshop in Saly, Senegal, today, IFAD, the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility, launched two new programs aimed at improving access to best practices, promoting innovation and digital transformation, and facilitating mutual learning among Great Green Wall stakeholders.

IFAD proudly announces that its innovative TRACE blockchain initiative has been awarded the prestigious World Future Award for best blockchain-based traceability solution in 2024.

Travel from the flourishing school gardens of Tajikistan and Tunisia to the farms of Iraq and Moldova, where a brighter, more nutritious future is taking root.

IFAD and the Republic of the Philippines launched a new project to support rural communities, particularly those in the vulnerable uplands, at an event at the Department of Finance in Manila last week.

We caught up with IFAD's Country Director for Zimbabwe, Francesco Rispoli, about the country's present challenges – and future potential.

Tras dos días de fructíferos diálogos, el FIDA ha recibido las recomendaciones de líderes representativos de los Pueblos Indígenas en América Latina y el Caribe, para garantizar con una nueva ruta de trabajo común su participación plena y efectiva en las decisiones de inversión que el Fondo y los gobiernos realizan en la región.

IFAD and AKADEMIYA2063 have signed a MoU to collaborate on promoting evidence-based policymaking, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, applied to Africa's agrifood system transformation and continental agendas such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme.

"IFAD is doubling down on its partnerships with African leaders, farmers, and the private sector to invest in transforming their food systems," said Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President, Programme Management Department, IFAD, at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF).

With adaptation finance needs estimated at about US$ 50 billion a year for Sub-Saharan Africa, IFAD and the Government of Rwanda are playing their part by launching the Rwanda Dairy Development Project (RDDP) phase II.

Increasing agricultural production is critical to fighting hunger in Africa, but often results in overexploited natural resources. Luckily, there are ways to do so sustainably.

In Longhui County, Hunan Province of southern China, women have many talents and want to start businesses, but they lack the resources and opportunities they need. This was a daily challenge for Ms. Hongyan Li, the hard-working Vice Chairwoman of the Longhui County Women's Federation.

In this episode, you’ll hear from the winners of this year’s IFAD Gender Awards and learn how they're building a prosperous, more gender-equal future for farming.

As leaders gather for World Water Week, IFAD President and UN-Water Chair Alvaro Lario shares insights on our planet's most precious resource.

Three years after our project in the Mekong Delta came to an end, we returned to Viet Nam to see if rural communities have continued to thrive with aquaculture.

Reehana Rifat Raza, Regional Director for the Asia and the Pacific Division at IFAD, completed a five-day visit to mark the 45th anniversary of the partnership between IFAD and the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB).

En esta edición especial en español, exploramos cómo los jóvenes rurales e indígenas de América Latina utilizan la tecnología para promover su cultura y la conservación ambiental.

Rural youth are bringing agriculture into the digital age. Meet three young rural people in Asia who’ve cracked the irrigation code!

"IFAD reaffirms its commitment to supporting Lesotho in unlocking the potential of its agricultural sector as well as enhancing food and nutrition security", said Donal Brown, IFAD’s Associate Vice-President for Programme Management Department while visiting the country on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Basotho nation.

To mark International Day of the World's Indigenous People, we shine a spotlight on Indigenous Peoples’ essential role in building a sustainable future.

From the Andes to the Amazon, meet three Indigenous Peoples’ organizations that are transforming their communities with IFAD’s support.

A new office signaling IFAD’s enduring commitment to working with the Government of Nepal to improve the lives and livelihoods of rural people was inaugurated today.

Indigenous climate activist Helen Biangalen-Magata weighs in on the urgent need to rethink how development finance supports communities like hers.

Our Associate Vice-President Donal Brown reflects on how IFAD has accompanied this dynamic country on its development journey – and how we will continue to collaborate into the future.

IFAD and the Bank Al Maghrib have agreed to jointly take action in increasing funding to rural development.

Black-eyed peas are not only an important ingredient in the local cuisine of The Gambia and Senegal – they are climate-resilient, too. Try them yourself with this delicious fonio recipe.

This grant strengthens partnerships between the private sector and smallholder producers to stimulate investments in inclusive and climate-resilient agricultural value chains.

The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report confirms that we have the means to end hunger, but are missing the money and the political will to do so. We explore the issues, solutions and what IFAD is doing to better finance food security and nutrition.

Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today by five United Nations specialized agencies.

IFAD issued its first nutrition bond, under its Sustainable Development Finance Framework, for US$50 million to Zenkyoren, National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Japan).

Under Brazil’s leadership, the G20 group, which unites the global north and global south, is presenting a renewed commitment to fight hunger and poverty and promote social inclusion.

In this episode, we take a close look at what could one day be the largest living structure on our planet: the Great Green Wall.

IFAD Associate Vice President Donal Brown and Sir Danny Alexander, Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which is the Administrator of the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) Finance Facility, signed an MCDF Implementing Partner Agreement in Beijing on 13 July. It was observed by MCDF CEO Zhongjing Wang.

In the face of challenging conditions, small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe's southeastern drylands are standing strong – and irrigating their way to food security.

Climate change is making seaweed farming off Tanzania’s coast a challenge – but IFAD is supporting seaweed farmers so they can adapt to this new normal.

The financial agreement to fund the Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) was signed recently by IFAD and the Government of Senegal, for a total cost of €€27.8 million.

“Our best chance of delivering on our commitment to end hunger by 2030 lies in scaling up investments, and developing new and innovative ways to mobilize funding,” flagged Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, to an audience of UN Members States at the annual High Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York.

Donal Brown, Associate Vice President of IFAD's Programme Management Department, visited China for the first time last week to enhance collaboration with Chinese policymakers and development partners. His visit focused on reaffirming a close partnership and advancing rural development initiatives within and beyond China.

Coffee has been grown in Saudi Arabia for centuries. But today, climate change is taking its toll. See how one small-scale farmer has built a thriving coffee farm, and is preserving traditions, despite challenges.

This call for proposals is to select a recipient or consortium of recipients to receive IFAD grant financing to implement the project ‘Agri Connect.

In this episode, we embark on a culinary journey across West Africa and introduce IFAD’s newest Recipes for Change chef.

Did you know nearly all of the world’s cocoa is produced by small-scale farmers? Let’s celebrate some of the people making our lives a little sweeter.

Small-scale farmers and fishers are joining forces and tapping into northern Angola’s immense potential for inland aquaculture.

IFAD and the Government of Malawi launched a US$53 million agricultural development programme today that seeks to commercialise agriculture production and enhance the resilience of small-scale farming systems for improved income, food and nutrition security in the country.

IFAD inaugurated a new country office in Ouagadougou today.

A first US$20 million project funded by the Central Africa Forest Initiative (CAFI) will support Cameroon’s small-scale cocoa and coffee producers adapt to the new European Union regulations, so that they continue exporting to the EU while they transition to deforestation-free agroecological practices based on sustainable principles.

President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China announced a renewed US$ 10 million contribution to the China-IFAD South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Facility last week. This funding demonstrates China’s ongoing commitment to supporting SSTC within the UN system, with a particular focus on agricultural development in the Global South.

Hear from LGBTQ+ farmers forging inclusive spaces in vegetable farming, beekeeping and beyond.

IFAD today inaugurated its regional office for West and Central Africa in Abidjan. This important step underlines IFAD's commitment to decentralisation and improving its operational effectiveness.

Last Thursday, IFAD, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Government of the State of Pernambuco presented the activities of Sertão Vivo in Pernambuco. This project, which promotes climate resilience and poverty reduction in the Northeast region of Brazil, was also co-financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

WFP, FAO, IFAD, and the COP28 and COP29 presidencies have today called for an urgent scaling up of climate action and financing for adapted and resilient agrifood systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Farming is not easy in Brazil’s semi-arid north-east. But with the support of a local cooperative, these small businesses are producing food while protecting nature.

The OPEC Fund for International Development and IFAD today signed a cooperation agreement to expand their partnership and boost co-financing of projects that enhance food security and build climate resilience, providing critical support to smallholder farmers who grow one-third of food worldwide.

The world needs to find new ways to invest in rural people and their activities. IFAD’s Annual Report 2023 outlines how this is already happening.

"More than any other group it is rural people who suffer the consequences of today’s escalating global crises," said Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, at the launch today of IFAD’s Annual Report 2023: Investing in Rural Communities for a Sustainable Future.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the "Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project in Jammu and Kashmir" programme, a partnership between IFAD and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in India to enhance the competitiveness and climate resilience of small-scale farmers.

The Agroecology Coalition is a global coalition of more than 300 members from pioneering governments, international agencies, scientific groups and civil society organizations. IFAD, a member of the coalition and a strong supporter for agroecology, will host the event.

Apple farming is a way of life in central Morocco, but farmers have been struggling with post-harvest losses. This all-woman cooperative is turning things around.

IFAD Associate Vice-President Guoqi Wu shares insights after a visit to project areas in Zambia, which has been hit hard by drought.

We asked IFAD’s climate experts how desertification and drought are affecting different parts of the world – and how rural people are leading the change that’s needed.

IFAD is proud to announce the opening of its new country office in Uzbekistan, marking a major achievement in IFAD’s long-standing commitment to support the country’s rural development efforts.

IFAD applauds the announcement by the Prime Minister of Canada, today, at the G7 in Puglia, to commit CA$100 million to IFAD’s 13th replenishment, to support the world’s poorest rural populations in its 2025-2027 programme of work.

In celebration of the International Day of Family Remittances on 16 June, the G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) has today unveiled a new report that provides evidence of the transformative impact of digital remittances, as a driver of financial inclusion and poverty reduction worldwide.

Remittances continue to matter more than ever, particularly in rural areas where they count the most and provide further opportunities towards rural transformation. Here are 14 reasons why.

IFAD and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as the Resident Coordinator’s Office, celebrated the International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) in Kathmandu yesterday.

With the right support, every rural person can rise above challenges and drive development. From Malawi to Brazil, hear from the farmers rewriting the agricultural narrative.