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The impacts of the war in Ukraine, coupled with the pandemic and climate change, are threatening the survival of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the world over. Finance is a critical lifeline, but can rural agri-SMEs access it?  

Following months of incessant rain, nearly one third of Pakistan is underwater. Millions of people are affected, thousands have died, and agriculture is at risk. IFAD’s Country Director in Pakistan reflects on what is happening on the ground.

With fossil fuels dwindling and access to energy already scarce in Africa, people are turning to renewable energy. In this month’s podcast, energy specialist, Dan Martin, explains how IFAD incorporates renewable energy into its projects, while a farmer tells us about the reality of renewable energies on the ground.

East Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts in decades, with millions facing food insecurity as crops fail, livestock die and water sources dry up. Read how IFAD is building resilience to climate change and what else needs to be done.

Coastal communities in the Philippines depend on the sea for sustenance, but these once thriving oceans are emptying due to climate change and harmful fishing practices. Local women are fighting back, protecting fisheries while using them sustainably.

The highlands of southern Türkiye are honey heaven. Meet two beekeepers who are building a flourishing honey business while protecting bees and, in turn, biodiversity.

On a recent trip to Guatemala and Honduras with the US Ambassador to the UN agencies based in Rome, IFAD Country Director, René Castro, explains how smallholder farmers are transforming rural communities despite the challenges of climate change.

As the current crises and disruption in food networks lay bare most African countries’ dependence on food imports, it has become critically urgent to transform the agriculture sector in order to lift vulnerable rural people out of poverty and hunger, according to the African Agricultural Transformation Initiative.

With limited access to schools, markets and jobs, many young people leave Bangladesh’s Haor wetland region in search of more stable opportunities. Meet three young people IFAD is helping to upskill so they can generate an income while staying in the region.

Rural youth around the world face a dilemma: their roots are in their rural homes, but it’s often hard to build a future there. Meet some of the young people IFAD is helping to devise solutions to the challenges they see around them and build more resilient futures.

The sixth IPAF cycle focuses on advancing indigenous peoples’ conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity for adaptation and resilience to climate change.

Indigenous peoples can teach us a lot about mitigating the impacts of climate change. Over generations, these communities have protected the biodiversity of their homes. They also use language in a powerful way to describe how they interact with the natural environment. Discover five unique words and concepts.

The pandemic pushed up to 80 million people in Asia into extreme poverty. Governments across the region had to respond quickly as incomes fell and food security was threatened. IFAD worked with them to ensure vulnerable rural people got the support they needed.

When a massive tsunami devastated low-lying coastal areas in Tonga, local people had to rebuild their lives from scratch. For many, home gardens provided much needed fresh produce, as well as renewed hope for the future.

Amid rising challenges posed by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic shocks, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) doubled down on its commitment to the world’s poorest rural communities in 2021.

The world entered 2021 on a precipice. We all knew the path we had been on was unsustainable and inequitable, and that nothing less than transformative change would be needed for recovery. As we face the challenges 2022 brings, we’re looking back to the lessons we learned in 2021 to guide our next steps forward.

In the current context of emergency, France and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) yesterday reaffirmed their joint commitment to averting a global food crisis and investing in more resilient and sustainable agriculture.

As the world experiences new and complex crises at an ever-increasing pace, we must back up decision-making with rigorous research and data. Here are three principles to bridge the divide between research and policy.

During a visit to Cameroon, Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Rémy Rioux, Director General of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) reaffirmed their shared vision for agricultural development in response to the challenge of food security.

When Megnath Ale Magar returned to his village in Nepal after a decade working abroad, he found a degraded land. In just three years, he transformed his barren farmland into a lush ecosystem using a permaculture approach.