Ensayos y Síntesis

This Focus Note introduces some recent developments in this rapidly changing space. The featured case studies (i) identify traditional pain points in serving smallholder farmers (such as the cost and risk of making payments to farmers and delivering subsidized credit), (ii) discuss how DFS are being used to overcome these pain points, and (iii) highlight some initial obstacles and successes.

In 2014, Kenya was newly classified as a lower-middle-income country, with financial services and infrastructure expected to drive growth of 5 to 6 percent annually over the next five years. At the same time, the country is still in protracted crisis, with recurrent natural disasters, conflict, severe drought and hunger affecting livelihoods. Overall, about 10 million Kenyans suffer from chronic food insecurity and poor nutrition. Recurring drought means that a larger number of people in a growing population are unable to meet their food needs. Good seasons between droughts are increasingly rare, making it difficult for households to recover from crisis to crisis. Severe land degradation, primarily caused by deforestation, unsuitable agricultural practices and flooding, has had a negative impact on agricultural production.

Among the world’s developing regions, Asia and the Pacific region has witnessed the deepest and fastest structural transformation. The Green Revolution that began in the 1960s spurred the rapid spread of improved varieties of cereal crops, accompanied by public investments in and policy support to the agricultural sector. As a result, productivity of wheat and rice increased dramatically, stimulating economic growth and reducing rural poverty. In the following decades, and especially since 2000, the structural transformation further accelerated, leading to a declined share of the sector in both output and GDP and, to a lesser extent, in the total employment. Facilitated by a conducive institutional and policy environment, the process brought about a more diversified, market-oriented and high-value agricultural production; the expansion of food processing, agribusiness, food retailing and exports; and increased domestic and international competitiveness of agriculture – albeit with country and subregional differences. Nevertheless, poverty, deprivation and hunger remain widespread. Two thirds of the world’s poor and hungry people live in the region, mostly in rural environments. Income inequality has been rising fast in a number of countries, especially between urban and rural areas, with adverse effects on poverty reduction and increased risk of social conflict and political instability. Moreover, the countries and subregions are at different stages of the structural transformation process. In most developing economies, labour productivity in agriculture is still low and the shift of the agricultural workforce to other sectors is yet to take place. Therefore, agriculture remains a critical livelihood option and the largest employer sector for most rural people. 

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has undergone a transformation in recent years, adapting itself to an environment more complex and challenging than at any other point in its history: persistent hunger and food insecurity; rising and more volatile food prices; floods, droughts and the ever-more apparent effects of climate change; increasing competition for land; global financial crisis; and a growing human population that has surpassed 7 billion.

In 2001, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council approved the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as an executing agency under its policy of expanded opportunities for executing agencies. 

This publication illustrates IFAD’s experience in closing the gender gap and mobilizing the ‘gender advantage’ in climate change adaptation through ten case studies from across the world. 

This overview document represents a synthesis of 4 policy briefs produced by IFAD, complemented by joint work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in the area of food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture in the post-2015 agenda. 

IFAD’s work in the post-2015 debate is inspired by its unique mandate to invest in poor rural people to enable them to overcome poverty and to transform their lives.

Article in F@rmletter - The E-magazine of the World’s Farmers (pg 12-13). It describes the Flexi Biogas system as an innovative portable biogas model. 

This was the result of small grant to pilot the technology as part of the Innovation Mainstreaming Initiative funded by the UK Department for International Development.

Annexes (Volume 2) of the Partnership in Progress: 2012-2013.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are funding a number of projects developed to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to improving food security, income generation and women’s empowerment, while respecting traditional knowledge and socio-cultural values. 

Family poultry production plays an essential role in some of these projects.

En el presente informe, FIDA pretende recopilar de exhaustiva las diferentes experiencias en la colaboración con las organizaciones campesinas y determinar las tendencias regionales que han ido surgiendo.

El estudio representa un punto de partida para la ampliación de escala y la profundización de los logros en otros países y contextos. Igualmente se analizan las modalidades de asocio utilizadas durante el bienio 2012-2013, y se exponen ejemplos de las experiencias exitosas y los logros alcanzados en el marco de los programas de FIDA en los países y su cartera de subvenciones.

El informe se basa en los resultados de una encuesta realizada por los gerentes de los programas del FIDA en los países de intervención, entrevistas con el personal de FIDA correspondiente y un examen teórico en profundidad de los documentos relativos a los proyectos nuevos y en curso y a determinadas subvenciones a nivel regional y programas en los países.

En el presente informe, FIDA pretende recopilar de exhaustiva las diferentes experiencias en la colaboración con las organizaciones campesinas y determinar las tendencias regionales que han ido surgiendo.

El estudio representa un punto de partida para la ampliación de escala y la profundización de los logros en otros países y contextos. Igualmente se analizan las modalidades de asocio utilizadas durante el bienio 2012-2013, y se exponen ejemplos de las experiencias exitosas y los logros alcanzados en el marco de los programas de FIDA en los países y su cartera de subvenciones.

El informe se basa en los resultados de una encuesta realizada por los gerentes de los programas del FIDA en los países de intervención, entrevistas con el personal de FIDA correspondiente y un examen teórico en profundidad de los documentos relativos a los proyectos nuevos y en curso y a determinadas subvenciones a nivel regional y programas en los países. 

These case studies present IFAD’s experiences in building PPPs in country projects and programmes around the world, from which we draw conclusions, lessons learned and the way forward.

Gender and rural development brief with specific focus on the Near East and North Africa.

Summary report on the workshop "Mainstreaming policy dialogue: from vision to action" organized by LAC and PTA on 17 October 2013.

Gender and rural development brief with specific focus on the Pacific Islands.

This paper seeks to draw on both the positive aspects of current practice and the critiques that have been made, to propose an action plan for strengthening IFAD’s engagement in country level policy dialogue.

It outlines a set of broad principles underpinning IFAD’s approach, the first of which is the reaffirmation that policy engagement must be shaped and led by the CPM.

It also makes specific proposals for more effectively integrating country-level policy dialogue in IFAD country programmes; for improving IFAD’s monitoring, reporting and knowledge management on the subject; and for strengthening in-house capacity for country-level policy dialogue.  

Describes what IFAD and the Policy and Technical Advisory division are supporting country-level policy engagement.

It also summarizes past experience and explains how Country Programme Managers can access funds to engage in country-level policy dialogue.

El mundo actual está lleno de paradojas, algunas grotescas, pero ninguna de ellas lo es más que el hecho de que mientras 870 millones de personas pasan hambre cada día, un tercio de todos los alimentos se pierde o se desperdicia. Nos maravillamos ante las tasas de crecimiento de los países de ingresos medios, pero en algunos de esos países viven decenas de millones de personas muy pobres. Alrededor del 75 por ciento de los habitantes más pobres del mundo viven en las zonas rurales y obtienen sus medios de vida principalmente de la agricultura, al tiempo que producen más del 80 por ciento de los alimentos que se consumen en África Subsahariana y partes de Asia. No obstante, muchos de ellos son a su vez compradores netos de alimentos.

Brochure illustrating IFAD's support to coffee value-chain development.

Small-scale producers in the development of tea value chain partnerships 

Brochure illustrating IFAD's support to cocoa value-chain development.

La tesis defendida en este artículo es que los gobiernos de los países que planifican sus programas de desarrollo agrícola y rural a gran escala —por lo general abarcando todo el sector agrícola y todos o la mayoría de los componentes importantes para el crecimiento agrícola y el desarrollo rural— obtienen mejores resultados en cuanto a producción agrícola y reducción de la pobreza rural y el hambre que los que no realizan inversiones de mayor magnitud y de escala en este tipo de desarrollo.

Based on the successful experience in 2005 in reviewing the IFAD-funded projects with indigenous peoples by indigenous experts, independent studies were conducted on selected IFAD-funded projects in each region. The studies on IFAD-funded projects with indigenous peoples are aimed to support IFAD in enhancing its development effectiveness in its engagement with indigenous peoples. In general, the case studies:
a) Identified existing policies and institutions, good practices, key success factors and innovations in selected on-going IFAD-funded projects with indigenous peoples with a potential for scaling up and replication;
b) Assessed the implementation of the IFAD Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples in IFAD-funded projects taking into account that the selected project has been approved before the approval of the policy; and,
c) Identified challenges and suggested areas of improvement in strengthening partnership between IFAD and indigenous peoples in order to address poverty and sustainable development with culture and identity.

This document reports on the remarkable achievements of the Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) in its five years of operation. It provides an overview of the importance of remittances to development, the strategy that the Facility has adopted to date, and the lessons. 

The FFR Brief learned from the innovative projects it has financed. Looking forward, the report highlights the tremendous opportunities offered by large-scale distribution networks, adoption of new technologies, mobilization of migrant capital and partnering with the private sector. Each chapter has been designed to be readable as a stand-alone discussion of the specific topic area it addresses. As a number of projects resulted in lessons learned in multiple areas, projects may be mentioned more than once, and their impact in each topic area will be discussed separately.

El presente informe es el resumen de una compilación de estudios sobre remesas destinadas a Asia y el Pacífico que se publicará próximamente. Las conclusiones están basadas en una serie de estudios encomendados por el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA) y realizados por Developing Markets Associates, Diálogo Interamericano, el Banco Mundial y el Instituto Mundial de Cajas de Ahorro, así como en estudios y análisis llevados a cabo por el Banco Mundial. 

This report summarizes the first global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD in February 2013. 

The report provides an overview of the main messages conveyed, the key topics discussed, the recommendations put forward by indigenous peoples’ representatives and the regional action plans jointly agreed upon by IFAD and indigenous participants. 

For those interested in learning  more, the report provides links to background documents, case studies, videos, photos, interviews and further reading. 

This brief paper presents the main phase of SFOAP (2013-2015). 

During this period the Programme will help African FOs to evolve into more stable, performing and accountable organizations that effectively represent their members and advise them on farming enterprises. 

This paper summarizes the results of the IFAD Institutional Scaling Up Review (Phase 2), which was conducted under a grant from IFAD to the Brookings Institution.

This paper presents the Learning Route, ‘Managing Forests, Sustaining Lives, Improving Livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Groups in the Mekong Region’, undertaken in November 2012 by PROCASUR and AIPP with the support of IFAD. 

It describes the Learning Route process, outputs and outcomes, as well as lessons learned, in addition to two case studies – one in Lao PDR and the other in Thailand – of community-based forest management, communal land titles and sustainable livelihoods. 

The document also provides a general overview of the land tenure system and its effect on the traditional livelihoods of indigenous peoples and ethnic groups in Asia, with particular focus on Lao PDR and Thailand.  

An analysis of lessons learnt from field application of IFAD’s sourcebook on institutional and organizational analysis for pro-poor change.

Farmers’ Africa is a capacity-building programme that aims to improve the livelihoods and food security of rural producers in Africa. It works with farmers’ organizations (FOs) to help them evolve into more stable, performing and accountable organizations that effectively represent their members and advise them on farming enterprises. 

The programme supports the main functions of FOs, promotes their engagement in policy processes and contributes to their professionalization. It also supports the efforts of FOs to provide economic services to their members. The total cost of the programme is estimated at EUR 40 million over five years and includes an overall contribution of EUR 26.9 million from the European Union (EU). 

El Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), ha definido como misión el diseño de herramientas que aporten a la construcción de capacidades para el empoderamiento de la población rural como ruta para mejorar su calidad de vida, a través de procesos de autodesarrollo.

Dentro de la población rural los pueblos indígenas, se identifican en contexto con más desventajas en relación a acceso a servicios básicos y recursos necesarios para salir de la pobreza, sumado a la situación de exclusión histórica y negación de sus derechos a la cual han estado enfrentados.

Como respuesta a esto, se define la Política de Actuación en relación a Pueblos Indígenas, que tienen como fin que los procesos de desarrollo impulsados desde el FIDA tengan mayor efectividad, la cual cuenta con procedimientos, instrumentos y mecanismos para su aplicación.

La Sistematización de Buenas Practicas del Programa Desarrollo Rural Sustentable para la Región del Norte -PRODENORTE- se constituye en un aprendizaje colectivo y de beneficio para la población indígena de los pueblos mayas Q´eqchi´, Pocomchi´, Achi y Ki´che´.

El programa se desarrolla bajo los lineamientos descritos en el Programa Sobre Oportunidades Estratégicas Nacionales del FIDA, COSOP 2008-2013. 

The rapid growth in consumer demand for sustainable agricultural products represents an enormous opportunity for small-scale farmers and producers in developing countries.

To help them seize this and other opportunities, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funds a range of projects in rural areas. A growing number of projects support smallholder production of commodities that are certified under programmes such as Fairtrade, Organic, UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance, including:

• Cocoa and coffee in Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra Leone

• Fruits in the South Pacific and Madagascar

• Cosmetic and medicinal plants in India and Southern Africa.

This review examines the impact of water-related projects on women, women’s role in managing water resources and the constraints women face in gaining access to water. It highlights the innovative activities and catalysts that have helped to address gender issues in water programmes and projects. 

The most common type of biogas system, and the most widely adopted in China and India, is a fixed dome system. Its construction requires skilled technical expertise and complex logistics, making installation expensive and time-consuming. Fixed dome systems are permanent installations, so secure land tenure is a prerequisite. These challenges make it difficult to adopt fixed dome systems in developing countries, particularly in Africa. As a result, many systems have failed and adoption rates have been low.

Another type of biogas system, manufactured in Kenya, is Flexi Biogas, a flexible above- ground system that is simpler and less costly to build and operate. This system does not require agitation and the digester is not a sealed tank but simply a 6m x 3m plastic bag made of PVC tarpaulin.
For more information please click on the link below.

Un des enjeux majeurs auquel l’humanité sera confrontée au cours de ce nouveau millénaire, est sans conteste la gestion durable des ressources en eau face aux demandes pressantes d’une population sans cesse croissante. 

Over 50 experts from more than 20 countries convened in Salzburg, Austria, in November 2011 for a special Dialogue for Action meeting entitled Transforming Agricultural Development and Production in Africa: Closing Gender Gaps and Empowering Rural Women in Policy and Practice. Designed to accelerate rural and agricultural development in Africa, the meeting focused on investment in women.

It was organized by the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) with support from the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)/Belgian Fund for Food Security (BFFS) Joint Programme. This report aims to reflect the complexity of the discussions that took place during the event and the outcome of those discussions.

The paper highlights the issues arising from the Global Gathering of Women Pastoralists (2010) which brought together over 100 women from herding communities across 32 different countries to discuss the challenges faced by pastoralist women and girls, and their potential opportunities.

It aims to support development practitioners in planning specific interventions and mainstreaming issues that potentially affect pastoralist women into the implementation stages of development initiatives. 

The paper is part of the IFAD Livestock Thematic Papers on Livestock and Pastoralists and Gender and Livestock, which offer an in-depth view of the broader context.

This Thematic Paper is part of a toolkit for development practitioners, created to support the design of appropriate livestock development interventions. It has been developed to assess existing synergies between livestock and the renewable energy sector and consider the potential benefits that could arise from their interactions, such as mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, environmental preservation (soil restoration), and availability of clean, affordable and reliable energy sources (e.g. biogas). 

The paper is divided into two sections. The first part looks at the livestock’s potential as a renewable energy source. Through, for example, the use of cost-effective technologies such as biogas systems that can stem methane emissions from livestock manure by recovering the gas and using it as an energy source in alternative to wood/charcoal or fossil fuel. 

The second part, given the climate change scenario, considers viable applications of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) addressed for small-scale farmers and livestock keepers at different levels of the value chain that can provide multifunctional benefits for households, community and environment. 

What does gender equality look like? Gender equality exists where women and men have equal access to opportunities and services, equal control over resources, and an equal say in decisions at all levels. 

Evidence demonstrates that where gender equality is greater, there is higher economic growth and a better quality of life for all.

Ce manuel est un complément au “Manuel de suivi et d’entretien des petits barrages en Mauritanie” publié dans la même série.

El presente estudio se basa en el análisis sobre la incorporación de los principios de actuación por los que ha de guiarse el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), en su labor con Pueblos Indígenas y Afrodescendientes. El Programa de Desarrollo Rural en la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua, NICARIBE, fue el proyecto de referencia para el análisis. 

NICARIBE es un programa que se implementa en siete territorios de Pueblos Indígenas y Afrodescendientes de la Costa Caribe, y tiene como meta mejorar los niveles de ingreso de 10,580 familias que viven en estos territorios, enfocando en el apoyo en el incremento de la producción, el manejo y aprovechamiento sostenible de los recursos naturales y fortalecimiento de sus organizaciones (territoriales y comunales) locales.

This factsheet presents the main outcomes of the Scampis project that aimed to improve the food security of 30,000 vulnerable smallholders in three countries through the use of micro-irrigation systems (MIS) and natural fertilizers and pesticides.

Este es un documento sobre las Buenas Prácticas del proyecto de Desarrollo Corredor Central (PDCC) implementado en Ecuador y financiado por el Gobierno Nacional y por el Préstamo 650/EC proveniente del Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), a través de la ejecución de sub-Proyectos de Turismo Comunitario con Pueblos y Nacionalidades Indígenas.

Los tres segmentos geográficos que conforman el corredor central, desde la región de la costa a la región amazónica: (i) Portoviejo y La Maná; (ii) Pujilí y Pelileo; (iii) Baños y Puyo.

Cada vez hay más consenso en cuanto a que el cambio climático está transformando el contexto del desarrollo rural, cambiando los entornos físicos y socioeconómicos y encareciendo el desarrollo de los pequeños productores. Pero el consenso es menor en cuanto a la manera en que las prácticas agrícolas en pequeña escala deberían cambiar como resultado de ello. La pregunta que suele plantearse es la siguiente: ¿cuál es realmente la diferencia que plantea la agricultura en pequeña escala “climáticamente inteligente”, que trasciende las mejores prácticas utilizadas usualmente en el ámbito del desarrollo? 

Este documento de trabajo para la sesión de juventud del Foro Campesino 2012 proporciona una visión de conjunto de las conclusiones del proyecto común MIJARC/FIDA/FAO sobre “Facilitar el acceso de los jóvenes rurales . a las actividades agrícolas’.

Este documento será completado e inserido en el informe final que se publicará después del Foro Campesino.