Stories

For countless people in IFAD-supported projects, 2023 was a year in which their lives changed. Here are some of the stories we told over the past 12 months.

Overweight and obesity are on the rise in low- and middle-income countries. Here’s what we can do to help reverse this health crisis.

Countless rural people depend on livestock for livelihoods, nutrition and traditional ways of life. Supporting small-scale farmers to become even greener can strengthen food systems, preserve livelihoods and benefit our planet.

Our current food systems cannot keep up with the world’s growing population – as a result, millions face hunger. Now more than ever, countries must take action to transform how food gets from farm to plate.

Drought is the number one cause of agricultural production loss. This is why IFAD supports small-scale farmers as they grow crops that are resilient, but often neglected.

Agricultural programmes are key to food security and dietary diversity in rural areas, we must continue investing in them.

The SOFI 2023 report reveals that many people are still going hungry, with the world’s most vulnerable regions and people worst affected. We explore what is causing hunger today and how we can make real change, now.

Our food systems need to change. Around the world, small-scale farmers, fishers and rural producers are already leading the transformation – here’s how.

In an age of multiple intersecting crises, only a holistic approach to both humanitarian and development assistance can disrupt the cycle.

Biodiversity is especially important for small-scale farmers. Here’s how IFAD is further integrating it into projects all over the world.

On World Bee Day, meet the pollinators buzzing to protect our planet and the rural people taking care of them.

After 40 years working with rural people, here are some of the things we have learned to make our work under IFAD13 a success. 

As we near the end of 2022, IFAD looks back on some of the themes that defined a year of dramatic change. 

Rural people are still paying the highest price for the rise in food, fertilizer and fuel costs. The Crisis Response Initiative was set up as part of IFAD's ongoing efforts to build rural people's resilience to these shocks. Here are selected highlights on the crisis from our teams in the field.

What’s on the menu in 2050? For World Food Day, we contemplate what our plates might look like in the future and explore how the world’s small-scale farmers are revolutionizing what we eat.  

African agriculture is at a crucial juncture. It has enormous potential to not only feed Africa, but also the world. Yet, global conditions are holding small-scale African farmers back. Five numbers show how transforming African agriculture can make a big difference.

Youth who grew up in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey have traditionally moved to the big cities to pursue their careers. But recently, thanks to an IFAD-supported project, the region’s farmers have begun growing strawberries. Highland strawberries are proving quite popular, driving the growth of a new regional value chain – and bringing the region’s youth back to the countryside to take part.

The end of COP26 is fast approaching, and we’re still waiting for a final agreement. However, based on the draft texts that have been released, it’s clear there’s still a risk of gaps between long-term targets and short-term action.

Brazil’s São Francisco river is a place of convergences. The river delta, and the stunning tropical forest surrounding it, is home to many different ethnic groups who settled there in search of a fresh start. Plans for a new ecotourism route that would allow visitors to experience the area’s rich culture and traditions were well under way – and then the pandemic struck. Nevertheless, one IFAD-funded project managed to support the region’s artisans and fishers.

Agriculture is the main source of income and livelihood in rural Lao. But Lao crops are highly climate-sensitive, leaving farmers with little room for error when it comes to climate adaptation.