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IFAD elects its next President on 7 July, designating new leadership at a crucial time when rising food, energy and fertilizer prices threaten to trigger a global food crisis and push millions more rural people into hunger and poverty.

Actor, activist, model, and IFAD Goodwill Ambassador Sabrina Dhowre Elba went to Kenya to see how rural small-scale farmers are transforming their communities. In her photo diary, she shares what she saw and learned on her visit.

IFAD has today issued its first-ever bond in Asia of US$50 million with the Dai-ichi Frontier Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (Dai-ichi Frontier Life), setting the stage for increased investment in some of the world’s most vulnerable rural communities.

Award-winning Indian chefs Anahita Dhondy and Thomas Zacharias have joined IFAD to promote Recipes for Change (R4C), a platform that aims to bring a taste of rural people’s lives to consumers through the food they eat.

The main element in Chef Gil’s vegan dish is jackfruit, a truly sustainable crop. Calorie-dense and nutrient-rich, jackfruit are known for their nutritive value and their resilience against climatic shifts. With a unique texture akin to pulled pork, their versatility in the kitchen is unmatched.

Years of conflict in Yemen have taken their toll – and among all of the devastation that’s been wrought, the country’s agricultural sector is one of the hardest hit. Now, an IFAD-supported initiative is helping Yemeni farmers get back on their feet.

Japchae is a traditional Korean dish known for its versatility. Chef Yoon’s version features crickets, a superfood packed with essential nutrients. If you’re looking for a new source of protein with almost no greenhouse gas emissions – or you’re just feeling adventurous – give this recipe a try.

Global remittances, the hard-earned money sent by migrant workers to their family members in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), grew by 8.6 per cent in 2021. Despite predictions that the COVID-19 pandemic would reduce remittance flows, the momentum was sustained due to a 48 per cent increase in money sent through mobile channels, according to the report MobileRemit Africa launched today by IFAD.

IFAD and the Centre for International Agricultural Research (CIAR) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) signed a letter of intent today, detailing the conditions of a strategic partnership between the two organisations in their efforts to jointly support rural revitalization in China and globally.

The MobileRemit Africa Report provides a framework to help countries identify data gaps, measure how enabling their policies are and the operating market environment for mobile-enabled remittances.

On the occasion of the International Day of Family Remittances (16 June), IFAD will launch its new MobileRemit Africa report, which includes a specific country analysis about the Gambia.

On the occasion of the International Day of Family Remittances (16 June), IFAD will launch its new MobileRemit Africa report, which includes a specific country analysis about Ghana, the second largest recipient of remittances in sub-Saharan Africa in absolute terms after Nigeria.

Millets – grain-producing grasses that can be found on farms all over the world – were at risk of being forgotten entirely amid the rise of industrial agriculture. They’ve made a comeback in recent years, thanks to a growing awareness of their nutritional and environmental benefits among farmers, chefs and consumers.

IFAD and China are celebrating 40 years of cooperation. Over the last four decades, IFAD has supported China’s development and China has been a key supporter and champion of our work. Here, we look back on 40 years of achievement and look forward to where the next few decades will take us.

Two Associate Vice-Presidents from IFAD - Donal Brown of the Programme Management Department and Jyotsna Puri of the Strategy and Knowledge Department – are conducting an official visit to Senegal and The Gambia from 13 to 16 June 2022 to meet with country authorities and beneficiaries of IFAD-supported programmes in the two countries, as well as the SAHEL regional programme.

As agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in low-income countries struggle to finance growth, IFAD is stepping up its commitment to assisting these essential players for rural development with a new €3.5 million loan to SOAFIARY, an innovative women-led agribusiness from Madagascar.

La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) será la sede el próximo lunes 13 de junio del lanzamiento regional en América Latina y el Caribe del Informe sobre Desarrollo Rural del FIDA.

This dish is Chef Ska Moteane’s take on a traditional Lesotho recipe. It combines sorghum, a drought-tolerant crop grown in Lesotho, with lentils, a legume that takes well to the country’s cold highland villages, and adds a burst of nutrient-packed vegetables and fragrant curry spices.

IFAD and the Youcheng Foundation for Poverty Alleviation signed a letter of intent today, outlining their collaboration and joint commitment to promote rural revitalization.

IFAD, the Government of Argentina and FONPLATA Development Bank have launched a new rural development project to help smallholder farmers transition to more resilient agroecology-based production while also taking advantage of digital technologies to improve their livelihoods and income.

A stew made with sustainable ingredients is comfort food at its best: good for you and good for the planet. This stew, presented by Chef Pierre Thiam, is inspired by ingredients from his childhood in Senegal. It features black-eyed peas (also known as cow peas), a central cultural element of West African cuisines.

IFAD today issued its first sustainable development bond with Folksam, a leading insurance and pension fund in Sweden investing in a US$100 million bond.

IFAD today officially opened its East and Southern Africa regional office to help the institution meet its goal of reducing hunger and poverty.

Brazil’s north-eastern semi-arid region, known as sertão, is a land rich in culture and enchanting landscapes, but the harsh climate and lack of water make it difficult to earn a living here. However, over recent decades, modern ingenuity has combined with traditional mutual aid systems to help communities make the most of the region’s natural resources.

For Chef Bowerman, this recipe is all about buying locally and working with the local ecosystem. It features anchovies – a favourite in her native Italy, and widely available all over the world – blended with rich, hearty pasta and potato.

“Anfitriones para la Paz” es una de las iniciativas puesta en marcha por el proyecto Puentes/Rural for Young People, que crea empleo y oportunidades económicas para casi 5.000 jóvenes de entre 16 y 35 años de las zonas rurales y peri-urbanas de Bolivia, Colombia y Honduras.

IFAD and the Government of India signed a US$ 105 million financing agreement last week for a project in the northern state of Uttarakhand that aims to double rural incomes, reaching over half a million families across the state. It will do this by supporting smallholder farmers, agricultural labourers, and micro and small agribusinesses to start and expand competitive businesses and focus on food production that is climate-resilient.

Conventional wisdom has long held that giving grants to small-scale farmers produces temporary gains at best. But recently, our research into a grants-based intervention employed by PRICE, an IFAD-funded initiative in Rwanda, found benefits that have lasted for five years and counting.

Boosting investments to help small-scale farmers adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis is more urgent than ever, warned IFAD at the United Nations Conference Stockholm+50.

In June 1972, members of the United Nations gathered in Stockholm for the first-ever conference on protecting the environment. Fifty years later, global leaders are returning to where it all began to decide where we go from here.

Journalist and documentary maker Qasa Alom recently visited Bangladesh with IFAD. He reflects on how climate change is affecting its people and what IFAD is doing to support them.

On Moldova’s border with Ukraine, the resilience of rural farmers is being put to the test due to the spill over effects from the war.

This month's episode focuses on the use of insects to feed the world – both as food for humans and feed for livestock.

IFAD and the Government of the Dominican Republic signed a financing agreement yesterday that will support the implementation of the Productive Inclusion and Resilience of Poor Rural Youth Project (PRORURAL Joven). This rural development operation aims to improve opportunities for rural youth to access jobs and establish businesses, and to build resilience among them and their families to climate, social and economic shocks and stresses.

These days, it feels like the vulnerability of the world’s food systems is on full display. As I watch the current situation unfold, I’ve been reflecting on the need for multilateralism and donor coordination to help the world overcome this emergency.

We sat down with Chef Joseph Yoon to learn more about edible insects: their health benefits, their potential as a method for fighting climate change, and even – for those who are tempted – how to start incorporating them into your cooking.

Biodiversity is the key to all the essential benefits we get from nature: from clean air to our ability to regulate the climate. At IFAD, we integrate protecting biodiversity into everything we do.

Reehana Rifat Raza, the Regional Director of the Asia and Pacific Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was on mission to Bangladesh this week - her first official visit to the region since she took up appointment on 9 May 2022.

Healthy ecosystems are diverse ecosystems. And at IFAD, we believe that small-scale farmers are amongst the greatest stewards and beneficiaries of biodiversity.

International Financial Institutions (IFIs) play a crucial role in responding to shocks at scale. They contribute financing, technical assistance, knowledge, and engage with policymakers to address rising food insecurity. Recognizing the essential role of IFIs in times of crises, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has released an IFI Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity.

The 2020 ILO-UNICEF Global Estimates of Child Labour reported that progress towards reducing child labour had stalled for the first time in 20 years.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s drylands – that is, the areas where more water is lost through evaporation than gained through rainfall – are facing widespread degradation. There are many factors causing this, but one of the most prominent is the use of agricultural practices that aren’t adapted to the land, such as overgrazing and intensive agriculture.

IFAD and the Government of the State of Maranhão signed a financing agreement today for the implementation of the Amazon Sustainable Management Project (PAGES). Implemented in Brazil’s state with the highest poverty and food insecurity rates, the project will address the entrenched environmental degradation of the Amazonian forest.

The Great Green Wall was envisioned as a line of trees stretching across Africa to protect against desertification. Today, it is a mosaic of farms, forests, and wilderness, where sustainable agriculture is the norm and rural-dwellers thrive.

As the war in Ukraine pushes food, fuel and fertilizer prices toward record levels putting food security in many of the world’s poorest countries at risk, IFAD today launched a Crisis Response Initiative to ensure that small-scale farmers in high-risk countries can produce food over the next few months to feed their families and communities while reducing the threat to future harvests.

Don Lolo has been growing coffee on the slopes of El Playón in Honduras for over fifty years. Now, thanks to support from IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility, he's using an online banking app to apply for loans, manage savings, and reach new buyers.

With land degradation gaining ground and affecting up to 40% of lands on Earth, IFAD today called for a significant increase in investments to help small-scale farmers protect and restore lands and ecosystems, build their resilience to climate change, and ensure long-term global food security.

International model, actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Sabrina Elba, arrives in Kenya today on an official visit.

From California to the Sahel, from the steppes of Central Asia to the Andes, drylands are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. But they’re also some of the most fragile.

When Fatima-Zohra first arrived in her new home, a rural village in the Moroccan highlands, she discovered the local women didn’t have many job opportunities. But they were enthusiastic about the idea of going into business for themselves – and so Fatima-Zohra got to work.

The Vice President of IFAD, Dominik Ziller, will meet with Edouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, as well as other high-level government officials during a visit starting 9 May.

As the risk of global food security rises due to the war in Ukraine, IFAD will launch its Crisis Response Initiative (CRI) at a press conference in Nairobi.

The war in Ukraine is testing the resilience of the people of Moldova, including its small-scale farmers. Our support is essential for helping them respond to the crisis – but opportunities to help are slipping through our fingers.

We know a thing or two about connecting youth with the financial services they need to start a business – but there’s always more to learn. Here, we reflect on some of our “lessons learned” as part of a recent grant programme in East Africa.

In many countries, we have the opportunity to partner with public policies and programmes to deliver the services our project participants need. Although effective inter-institutional coordination is never simple, it is doable – and entirely worth the effort.    

At the heart of this year’s session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is “free, prior and informed consent.” Quite a mouthful! But what does it really mean? And why does it matter?

We used GIS to assess the impact of IFAD-supported projects on the likelihood of conflict in fragile contexts. Our results suggest that the presence of IFAD interventions may prevent conflicts from arising and reduce the overall number of conflicts.    

This episode is all about closing the social justice gap in rural communities and developing countries.

Learn more about food sovereignty and what it means for indigenous peoples with Dr Elifuraha Laltaika, a professor of law and expert on indigenous peoples’ rights.

Over the millennia, indigenous peoples have developed practices that honour the interconnectedness of people and nature – yet all too often, their contributions are overlooked and devalued. IFAD is committed to supporting indigenous peoples in overcoming poverty and meeting global challenges through building on their identities and cultures.

There is much interest in promoting workplace diversity recently. Not only is this long overdue, but it also makes financial sense.

Le FIDA et le Gouvernement de la République du Sénégal ont procédé aujourd’hui à la signature d’un accord de financement visant à améliorer la productivité et l'accès au marché des chaînes de valeur des produits de base prioritaires et de l'élevage, dans le bassin arachidier et les zones agropastorales du Sénégal.

IFAD and the Government of Mexico have signed a financial agreement today that will support the implementation of a project aimed to fight rural poverty by reducing small-scale farmers’ vulnerability to climate change in one of the Mexican regions most affected by this phenomenon.

Just as the shadow of COVID-19 was lifting from many parts of the world, new crises have arisen – and they’re a particularly difficult challenge for poor rural people in developing countries.

All too often, small family farms operate in isolation. By themselves, they often lack the resources and skills they need to thrive. IFAD is now bringing small-scale farmers and other stakeholders into clusters to work together for their common interests. We caught up with one of our technical specialists to learn more.

IFAD and the Government of Haiti signed a financing agreement today for the implementation of the Inclusive Blue Economy Project (I-BE). The project will help preserve the Three Bay Protected Area by providing economic opportunities to smallholder famers and artisanal fishermen living in the country’s north-eastern region.

Carlo Cracco, one of Italy’s most famous chefs, is helping IFAD promote jackfruit as a way to adapt to climate change in rural Sri Lanka.

The IFAD-funded Rural Adelante Project in El Salvador helps rural youth stay in their communities and make a living from agriculture, instead of migrating to cities or abroad.

With COP27 just seven months away, this event brings together food activists and chefs, a climate journalist, a climate expert and farmers themselves to talk about why small-scale farmers must be part of the climate change conversation and the value they can bring to those reporting on climate issues.

Conflict and food insecurity go hand-in-hand. Stable food systems and sustainable development are simply not possible without peace.

India has strengthened its commitment to fight hunger and poverty in rural areas by agreeing to loan US$20 million to IFAD.

While we can no longer avoid climate change, we can still limit its impacts. It is time we start viewing agriculture as an essential part of the solution.

Making the right decisions about managing natural resources isn’t always easy. That’s especially true for watersheds, where the local ecosystem depends on the health of multiple waterways. Now, GIS technology is helping communities in rural Nepal monitor and preserve the forests fed by local watersheds.

Ibtissèm’s career in the pharmaceutical industry was off to a strong start, but she put it on hold when her mother fell ill. Back in her hometown in central Tunisia, she needed a new way to support herself and her mother – and then she realized that her skills would serve her well in her town’s bustling dairy industry.

The President of IFAD is appointed for four years with a two-term limit.

IFAD today announced a call to its 177 Member States to nominate candidates for the Fund’s next President.  

Sustainable development can only be achieved with the contributions of rural women, yet they face many challenges. Let’s meet three women who have transformed their lives with the help of the JP RWEE initiative.

“At the end of the day, restaurants are a luxury, but having food is a right. Everyone should have access to food.”

This month’s episode is all about biodiversity and agriculture.

IFAD and the Government of Bolivia have signed a financing agreement that initiates the implementation of the ACCESOS Rural Project. This rural development intervention will help Bolivian small-scale farmers counter the great impact of climate change on the country’s rural areas to increase staple food production, thus enhancing food security.

IFAD’s Associate Vice-President for Strategy and Knowledge Jyotsna Puri visited Egypt last week, where she met with the Egyptian government, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, representatives and beneficiaries of IFAD's projects, as well as local media. Dina Saleh, Regional Director of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division, accompanied her during the visit.

In Sri Lanka, the climate crisis is causing rising temperatures, increasingly extreme weather events and variable precipitation patterns are harming agricultural productivity and food security. Through the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnership Programme, IFAD offers solutions for rural people, including promoting jackfruit among smallholder farmers because of its high value and resilience.

Groundwater depletion continues to be a challenge for small-scale farmers in the NENA region, despite the existence of water-saving technologies. Now, a new study is shedding light on ways farmers can improve their water efficiency – and where they can turn for help.

If groundwater is used carefully, it can be used by small-scale farmers to grow the crops they need to feed their families and build livelihoods in areas that are strongly affected by climate change.

Below our feet lies a hidden treasure: groundwater. It sustains ecosystems and provides food, drink and livelihoods for billions. And as climate patterns change with global heating, this reliable water source is becoming ever more important for food security and livelihoods.

Forests are an excellent buffer against the effects of climate change. They’re also home to a variety of native plant and animal species that can foster resilient, sustainable local economies.

As the war continues to rage in Ukraine, impacts of rising food prices and shortages of staple crops are already being felt in the Near East and North Africa region and spreading to the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Four United Nations agencies today announced the forthcoming launch of a new phase of a joint programme that aims to secure rural women’s livelihoods, rights and resilience to advance sustainable development.

IFAD and UN Women were each working in rural China, helping women access new opportunities and gain an equal say in their communities. Then the two agencies decided to collaborate, opening up new ways to fulfil their respective mandates – rural development on one hand, and women’s empowerment on the other.

Cet appel à propositions vise à sélectionner un bénéficiaire ou un consortium de bénéficiaires pour recevoir un financement sous forme de don du FIDA sur quatre ans pour mettre en œuvre le projet : Opportunités d'emploi pour les jeunes ruraux - Appui à l'initiative des pôles agro-industriels intégrés

Two years ago, COVID-19 closures forced us all apart – but the creative use of technology helped keep us together. Today, with tech giants promising to take all of us into the metaverse, IFAD is exploring how cutting-edge technology can help us see the world through each other’s eyes.

Back in early 2020, when the first waves of COVID-19 were spreading around the world, IFAD launched the RPSF as a multi-donor initiative to sustain rural people around the world during the pandemic. With the RPSF’s help, many were able to start small businesses – and today, those businesses are sustaining local economies and building resilience.

Farming can be a risky business indeed. Recently, some IFAD-supported initiatives have begun piloting crop insurance programmes for participating farmers – and for KCEP-CRAL farmers in Kenya, the new insurance policies arrived just in time.

COVID-19 lockdowns meant Juana could no longer go to her job in rural Guatemala. But thanks to a loan from her local rural savings bank and IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility, Juana started her own business at home.

Thanks to driving lessons provided by the Haor Infrastructure and Livelihood Improvement Project - Climate Adapation and Livelihood Protection (HILIP/CALIP), a group of young rural women in Northern Bangladesh now have careers as drivers—a typically male-dominated profession.

As climate extremes become more frequent and intense, women and girls - who are at a higher risk than men and boys of experiencing the devastating effects of the climate crisis - including food insecurity, need to be front and centre when planning and implementing climate change adaptation solutions, said three United Nations' food agencies at their joint International Women's Day event today.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, IFAD and the Government of Maharashtra in India agreed to invest an additional US $12 million, to socially and economically empower 1 million rural women in the state through the Nav Tejaswini project.

Marta had never left her community before and was nervous to travel. Many told Carmelina not to go, saying India was too far and six months was too long to be away. But despite their concerns, the two women embarked on their journey, determined to bring electricity to their communities.

This International Women’s Day, we sat down with Steven Jonckheere, IFAD’s Senior Technical Specialist on Gender and Social Inclusion, for a conversation on why women’s land rights matter – and what IFAD is doing about it.

Despite being largely responsible for the food on our farms and on our tables, women don’t have access to the same resources as men. Without access to land, finance, training, inputs and equipment, women can’t produce effectively, achieve financial stability or food security, or grow their businesses.

Rural women already know what needs to be done to help their households and communities adapt to climate change and build resilience. Here are four ways to empower them for a climate-safe future.

IFAD and the Government of Cuba hosted an event today at the Hotel Nacional in Havana to launch the Agroforestry Cooperative Development Project (PRODECAFE). The project aims at increasing coffee and cocoa production in the eastern region of the country, while contributing to enhanced resilience of this region’s smallholder farmer cooperatives to climate change.

Last year, the World Economic Forum revised its estimates for closing the gender gap. Shockingly, rather than reaching equality sooner, the gap has increased a generation. At IFAD, we work to achieve a more equitable rural world, one where women’s participation in decision-making is no longer an exception.

Women and girls all over the world are more strongly affected by climate change. For International Women’s Day, we’re taking a look at why that is and how women and girls can lead the way in adapting to the new environment.

At IFAD we are following the situation in Ukraine with a heavy heart. We deplore the loss of life and displacement of populations, and we join the call of the UN Secretary General to end military operations, restore peace and protect human rights.

This meta-analysis study captures the key findings of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rural economy and especially on the livelihoods of smallholder farmer households.

Every year, we recognize a project from each of our regions that empowers rural women and girls. Here, we present the winners of the 2021 Gender Awards.

More and more of IFAD’s development projects are focusing on nutrition as a way to optimize their impact. Our work in Ethiopia exemplifies this.  

The IPCC’s new report, “Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”, underscores the urgency of climate change adaptation.

Norway boosted its fight against hunger and poverty today by announcing a contribution of NOK140 million (US$14.7 million) to IFAD.

Last year, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake caused more than 2,200 deaths and US$2 billion worth of damage in southern Haiti. In February 2022, a Donors' Conference was held to seek financial and political support for the reconstruction and relaunch of the region.

With Malawian farmers still reeling from tropical storms that devastated crops and livelihoods in recent weeks, Norway’s Minister of International Development and the President of IFAD will visit the country to meet its leaders and small-scale farmers to discuss the impacts of climate change, and ways to build resilience.

Brejo Dois Irmãos is a tiny and isolated community of 200 families in north-east Brazil. It hides a precious treasure: the burití, or “tree of life” in the indigenous Tupi-Guarani language.

IFAD launched the Innovatech project today, which aims to develop agricultural (AgriTech) and financial (FinTech) digital solutions to facilitate small famers’ access to markets and to financial and non-financial services in Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Mexico.

This month, in anticipation of International Women’s Day 2022, our focus is on gender equality.

Jeong Kwan is a Zen Buddhist nun. She’s also a chef famous for both her sustainable vegan recipes and her pure and sincere approach towards cooking. Our conversation touched upon everything from traditional Korean temple food to what we need to do to rebalance our food systems.

Job opportunities in the agricultural sector can be very limited for people with disabilities. In rural China, therefore, initiatives dedicated to including people with disabilities in their local economies – including IFAD-supported projects – have been central to national efforts to eliminate extreme poverty.

World leaders today called for urgent and innovative investments to help rural communities in the world’s poorest countries adapt to climate change. Speaking at the opening of the annual Governing Council meeting attended by 177 Member States of IFAD, leaders specifically highlighted the vulnerability of small-scale farmers to severe weather events, like the storms that devastated Madagascar in recent weeks killing at least 121 people and destroying more than 176,000 hectares of land.

Many persons with disabilities face barriers to accessing education, training and employment – and for women with disabilities, those barriers are even higher. Fortunately, there are a growing number of programmes designed to help rural-dwellers with disabilities find decent jobs and fully participate in their local societies.

Heads of state, ministers and rural development experts will come together at the 45th annual Governing Council meeting of IFAD to look towards a post-COVID world, and discuss how to harness innovations and new financing mechanisms to build more inclusive and resilient rural economies.

A US$ 1.07 million grant agreement between IFAD and the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia will finance the Resilience Livelihood Action to COVID-19 project (RLAC-19)—a move to strengthen the ability of poor rural people to cope with the effects of the COVID pandemic and threats to their livelihoods.

Brejo is not easy to reach: the only way in or out is a 12-kilometre dirt road running through a swamp, which most vehicles can’t manage. And with no way to sell their most important crop – burití (Mauritia flexuosa), a native palm tree – the 200 families living there frequently felt forgotten by the outside world.

For our people and planet to flourish, we need agrobiodiversity: agricultural systems that enhance our wealth of ecosystems and living beings instead of diminishing it. Our work has long recognized the importance of agrobiodiversity for sustainable food systems, and now we’re taking this commitment even further.

To make sure we’re investing in what works and achieving maximum impact, we evaluated 17 of our project Impact Assessments to look for broader trends. The results have implications for everyone who works in rural development – from those on the ground to the donors who make this work possible.

In a significant move to strengthen its commitment to ethical investments, the Executive Board of IFAD agreed on a policy to further shift the Fund’s treasury investments to green bonds and other Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investments.

Herding livestock is central to Kyrgyzstan’s economy, society and culture, but the nation has long lacked enough veterinarians to care for these animals. Now, an IFAD-supported project is helping to train veterinarians and make sure they reach even the country’s most remote areas.

This month’s episode is all about what lies ahead for the world of agriculture in 2022.

IFAD, together with the China Centre for Agricultural Policy of Peking University, launched IFAD’s Rural Development Report 2021, in a virtual event today.

In north-eastern Montenegro, an IFAD-funded project is helping women start their own businesses and gain greater representation in their communities. Recently, many of these women gathered to share their successes and teach and learn from each other.

IFAD, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in Jordan, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed a EUR 4.13 million financial agreement this week to strengthen the sustainability and climate resilience of ongoing interventions under the Rural Economic Growth and Employment Programme (REGEP) in Jordan.

For another year, millions of small-scale farmers have been bearing the brunt of climate change and COVID-19. We were there to support them every step of the way.

2021 brought immense challenges to all corners of the world. Nevertheless, IFAD has been busy doing what we always do: supporting projects that improve the lives of rural small-scale farmers.

In our end-of-year episode, we’re focusing on all things innovative in the world of agriculture. We hear from agro-preneurs in Australia, Africa and Asia who are using cutting-edge technologies and exploring new solutions to common problems.

As more people spiral into hunger and poverty due to pandemic restrictions, climate change and conflicts, the Norwegian Agency of Development Cooperation (NORAD) has committed NOK 45 million (US$5 million) to increase the incomes and build the resilience of small aquaculture farmers in Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, IFAD announced today.

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.

At a time when rural people in low-income countries face steep increases in food prices and the devastating impacts of climate change are contributing to a rise in hunger and poverty, Canada has announced today its commitment to support the resilience of small-scale farmers and the prosperity of rural communities by increasing its funding to IFAD.

El proyecto Apoyo a las organizaciones de pequeños agricultores en América Latina servirá para fortalecer la estructura y la capacidad productiva y de acesso a mercados de este tipo de organizaciones en la región, gracias a una alianza entre la Unión Europea y el FIDA.

This year’s COVID-19 lockdowns cut off Djibouti’s fishing community from their markets. But with no way to store fish in the searing heat, many fishers were forced to throw their catch away. Now, thanks to some solar-powered fridges, they’re back on their feet and trading with new customers.

In the wake of COP26, which featured a strong call for increased financing to help the world’s poorest countries adapt to the impacts of climate change, Denmark today announced a contribution to IFAD of DKK 190 million (about US$29 million) to help small-scale farmers cope with unpredictable weather.

It might seem counter-intuitive to suggest that agriculture should become more nutrition-sensitive – but many small-scale producers worldwide are at risk of food and nutrition insecurity. We’re committing to more ambitious goals for integrating nutrition into our investments and project activities.

With soaring food prices pushing millions of people into food insecurity, IFAD is calling on governments and the private sector to urgently step up their investments in small-scale agriculture, especially for locally produced, nutrition-rich food. The call was made ahead of today’s opening of the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit.

Young people are the future of the world’s food systems, and they should therefore have a say in how the food systems of tomorrow should be configured. In China, youth have long been leading efforts to promote organic farming and sustainable consumption – and now, they’re beginning to act for change.

Over half the world’s arable land is already degraded, and this number is growing at a rate of 23 hectares per minute. But with the support of an IFAD-funded project – along with an unlikely ally – farmers in Bolivia’s Pando region are restoring the land in record time.

Our vision of inclusive, sustainable, green, and resilient rural economies can’t be accomplished without the inclusion of persons with disabilities. We are committed to finding ways for persons with disabilities to participate fully in society and realize their potential as contributors to vibrant rural economies.

Food is one the defining issue of our time yet, as we have seen at the recent COP26 climate conference, the people who produce our food are too often missing from global forums that impact their lives, said Satu Santala, who joins IFAD today as its Associate Vice-President of External Relations and Governance.

Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean is at its highest point since 2000, after a 30 percent increase in the number of people suffering hunger from 2019 to 2020, says a new UN report.

FAO, IFAD, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and WFP will present a report focusing on the latest statistics and trends of food security and nutrition in the region.

The term “food systems” encompasses a huge variety of activities and issues. To make sure we’re all starting from the same place, let’s focus on the fundamentals: the land, and how to treat it well.

It’s clear by now that no real progress on climate change mitigation will be achieved without the active participation of today’s top greenhouse gas emitters. In addition to transitioning their energy sectors away from carbon, actions such as making their agrifood systems more sustainable and promoting the use of natural carbon sinks could produce dramatic results in record time.

This month’s episode is all about the blue economy – the economic, social and environmental activity that revolves around marine and coastal resources – of the East and Southern Africa region. This sector offers many potential opportunities for governments, the private sector and small-scale producers, along with some challenges.