Savoirs

The programme will support the design and implementation of participatory management plans for ecosystem conservation to alleviate stresses and increase the resilience of fragile habitats.

The programme will stimulate more sustainable economic growth for women and men in
rural communities. This includes increasing their resilience to climate change impacts by
helping communities to diversify their livelihoods options and improving the management
of natural resources. Investments in climate-resilient infrastructure will also support
agricultural development.

ASAP resources are complementing the first component (natural resource management, investment in assets and enterprise development) of ACCESOS. 

Matching grants (MGs) are used increasingly by multilateral and bilateral institutions, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank, to cofinance productive assets and investments. Although confined initially to investments with clear public good characteristics, their use has spread. They finance a broad array of assets and productivity-enhancing technologies for groups, companies and individuals, benefiting the private sector directly with clear private goods characteristics. MGs are used as a short-term financing instrument to promote diffusion of technologies and enable target groups to carry out productivity-enhancing investments, compensating for the limited availability and high costs of term finance. At times, MGs incorporate a “crowding in” mechanism to attract financiers by sharing the risks and increasing the effective collateral value of the asset being financed. They are also used to support innovations that, by their nature, are more risky and less likely to attract loan finance. Despite their appeal as a relatively simple instrument to address access to finance constraints in the short run, there are several risks, which can limit their effectiveness and impact. When poorly designed and poorly implemented, MGs can distort and crowd out private and public investments. 

Between 2009 and 2012, the IFAD-supported Scaling up Micro-irrigation Systems (SCAMPIS) project developed a market approach for the dissemination of locally adapted drip irrigation kits. 

The approach identifies the technology that is best suited to the local context and appropriate for the most vulnerable rural inhabitants. It then builds a sustainable local supply chain for the irrigation equipment that makes the technology affordable and available, not just for the duration of the project but in the long term.

In just three years, the pilot project was able to dramatically change the lives of 30,000 farmers and their families (in total, around 150,000 poor rural people) on three continents.

This paper outlines IFAD’s strategic approach to enhancing food security and promoting sustainable smallholder agriculture development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the context of exacerbated impacts of climate change and persistent challenges to market access. A renewed approach will provide an opportunity for increasing results and impacts from agriculture and fisheries, reducing the high transaction costs of project delivery in SIDS, adjusting to an ever-changing development environment and – most of all – avoiding the overlooking of SIDS’ persistent fragility and the risk that they are cut off from development assistance.

In 2005, IFAD and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) formed a partnership to promote a better understanding of the links between rural poverty, livelihoods and water access.

Together they developed an approach to map information relating to poverty, livelihood activities and water availability across sub-Saharan Africa.

By correlating this information, they have been able to substantiate context-specific proposals for water investments.

The results of the studies highlighted the importance of agriculture as an economic activity to the reproduction of such units all over the continent, and showed that specialized family farmers are the largest group in relation to the total. Moreover, we verified the function of rural residency and the combination of activities and income sources as an important feature of all the countries studied.

This publication shows how tailor-made educational programmes (such as the Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools approach) can provide rural youth with the skills and insights needed to engage in farming and adopt environmentally friendly production methods. 

These Guidelines are the result of an extensive process of consultation and a concerted effort that brought together different fisheries and
climate change experts in different moments in time. Substantive inputs were provided by a range of stakeholders, including smallholder
farmers, aquaculturists, academics, personnel from ministries of agriculture and environment, and development cooperation partners.

Improved Learning Initiative for the design of a Participatory Impact Assessment & Learning Approach (PIALA) in Viet Nam.

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.

The objective of this Annual Progress Report is to review the activities of the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) during its first year of life or, more precisely, thirteen months since its launch in December 2013.

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. 

Découvrez, dans le Rapport annuel 2013, les résultats et l'impact des activités du FIDA. Le document rapporte aussi les histoires de femmes et d'hommes avec qui nous travaillons dans les zones rurales – leurs problèmes et leurs succès. Le Rapport rend compte des efforts que nous déployons pour que les besoins des communautés rurales demeurent en tête des priorités dans l'agenda international pour le développement, parce que 76% des habitants les plus pauvres du monde vivent dans les zones rurales. Et il présente les données et les chiffres que le Fonds communique périodiquement à ses États membres et à ses partenaires.

 

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. 

L’objectif final de ce Guide de l’utilisateur et du Tableur Excel qui l’accompagne est de faire du MPAT un outil réellement libre et accessible à tous, afin que toute institution ou agence, quelle que soit son échelle, puisse mettre en œuvre son propre MPAT sans appui externe. Depuis la publication en 2009 de la version “bêta», nous nous sommes employés à mettre à jour et à améliorer la méthodologie du MPAT en intégrant les commentaires et les leçons apprises par d’autres utilisateurs en y incorporant les résultats de nos propres tests itératifs au Bangladesh et au Mozambique. Au cours des pages suivantes, nous expliquerons qu’est-ce MPAT, comment il fonctionne et de quelle façon il est utilisé en fournissant étape par étape des instructions, des documents et d’autres sources de formation.

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 book examines the growing divergence between subsistence and business oriented small farms, and discusses how this divergence has been impacted by population growth, trends in farm size distribution, urbanization, off-farm income diversification, and the globalization of agricultural value chains.

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.

The Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool provides data that can inform all levels of decisionmaking by providing a clearer understanding of rural poverty at the household and village level. As a result, MPAT can significantly strengthen the planning, design, monitoring and evaluation of a project, and thereby contribute to rural poverty reduction.

Following an inclusive consultation and negotiation process, which involved more than 70 countries, international organizations, and representatives of the civil society and the private sector, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGs) were officially endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security on 11 May 2012. The VGs set out principles, technical recommendations and practices for improving the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests. They promote secure tenure rights and equitable access to these resources as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and protecting the environment. They give recommendations to countries and to other key actors, who are strongly encouraged to adopt and use them on a voluntary basis.

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

Depuis 1981, le FIDA a financé 12 projets et programmes au Burkina Faso pour un montant total de 158,6 millions de dollars des États-Unis. 

Le Bureau de l’audit et de la surveillance (AUO) et sa Section des enquêtes ont pour mandat de mener des enquêtes sur les allégations de pratiques irrégulières en relation avec les activités et opérations du FIDA. Ce mandat trouve son origine dans la charte d'AUO, le règlement des ressources humaines et le Code de conduite ainsi que la Politique du FIDA en matière de prévention de la fraude et de la corruption dans le cadre de ses activités et opérations. Grâce aux activités d'enquête et de lutte contre la corruption, le FIDA veille à ce que les fonds destinés au développement parviennent bien aux destinataires de la manière la plus efficiente, efficace et transparente possible et que le personnel du Fonds respecte les normes d’éthique et d’intégrité fixées par le FIDA. Le nombre de nouvelles plaintes reçues par AUO en 2013 est légèrement plus élevé par rapport à 2012 (39 en 2013 contre 33 en 2012), du fait de l’accroissement du nombre d’allégations externes de fraude, en particulier dans le domaine des passations de marchés, ainsi que du nombre d’affaires liées au personnel. En 2013, AUO a clôturé avec succès 41 cas, dont plusieurs enquêtes complexes, et des mesures ou sanctions disciplinaires ont été appliquées dans six cas: 5 internes et un externe.

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.

Le présent rapport constitue, de la part du FIDA, la plus complète des tentatives visant à dresser un bilan des différentes expériences de collaboration avec les OP et à recenser les tendances régionales qui émergent.

Cette démarche offre un point de départ pour la reproduction à plus grande échelle des approches réussies et leur élargissement à d'autres pays et d'autres contextes. Le rapport analyse les modalités du partenariat en cours pendant la période 2012-2013, et met en lumière les expériences réussies et les réalisations observées dans les programmes - pays du FIDA et dans son portefeuille de dons.

Le rapport s’appuie sur les résultats d'une enquête réalisée auprès des chargés de programme pays du FIDA, d'entretiens avec des membres concernés du personnel du FIDA et d'une étude sur dossier approfondie de documents concernant des projets en cours et de nouveaux projets, ainsi que certains dons régionaux et programmes - pays.

Le présent rapport constitue, de la part du FIDA, la plus complète des tentatives visant à dresser un bilan des différentes expériences de collaboration avec les OP et à recenser les tendances régionales qui émergent.

Cette démarche offre un point de départ pour la reproduction à plus grande échelle des approches réussies et leur élargissement à d'autres pays et d'autres contextes. Le rapport analyse les modalités du partenariat en cours pendant la période 2012-2013, et met en lumière les expériences réussies et les réalisations observées dans les programmes - pays du FIDA et dans son portefeuille de dons.

e rapport s’appuie sur les résultats d'une enquête réalisée auprès des c argés de programme pays du FIDA, d'entretiens avec des membres concernés du personnel du FIDA et d'une étude sur dossier approfondie de documents concernant des projets en cours et de nouveaux projets, ainsi que certains dons régionaux et programmes - pays.

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.

The overall objective of the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) is the 1.reduction of poverty and sustained improvement in the standard of living of the population in the Lower Usuthu Basin through commercialization and intensification of agriculture. The immediate objectives of LUSIP Phase I were: (a) the integration of smallholder farmers into the commercial economy through the provision of irrigation infrastructure, development of the policy and legal framework for smallholder irrigation, as well as the establishment of farmer-managed irrigation institutions; and (b) sustainable improvement in environmental health in the project area to ensure that the population derives the full benefits of agricultural commercialisation.

In order to improve your knowledge in this key area, make sure you consult our new e-learning course.

Flash News for the IMI-funded project “Filling the intergenerational gap in knowledge on Agricultural Water Management: twinning Junior and Senior Experts”.

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

En la actualidad Latinoamérica presenta diferentes retos para promover el desarrollo rural de sus comunidades, combatir la escasez de agua y garantizar su seguridad alimentaria. En los últimos años, México ha sufrido una serie de eventos hidrometeorológicos que han generado graves daños sociales y económicos que requieren de importantes inversiones para permitir a las regiones afectadas regresar a su condición habitual. Esto ha hecho evidente la gran vulnerabilidad del país así como la importancia que juega la capacidad de adaptación de la nación o en otras palabras, la resiliencia del país.

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

IFAD has committed US$71.4 million in loans to Jordan since 1981 to support agricultural development and reduce rural poverty. The funds have been used in six agricultural development programmes and projects with a total value of US$189.3 million. 

The Government of Jordan and project participants have contributed US$63.2 million. The programmes and
projects are designed by IFAD in collaboration with rural people, the government and other partners. They address poverty through promotion of sustainable natural resource management, particularly water and soil conservation. A seventh project is being designed.

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.

An IFAD Supervision Mission visited the project from 20th June to 5th July 2013. The main 1.objectives of the supervision mission are to ensure that the development objectives of the projects are being met and to satisfy IFAD‟s fiduciary responsibilities, with a focus on: (i) assessment of the implementation progress of the project, including assessment of the achievement of outputs by component and outcome as per the logframe of the project; (ii) assistance to identify and remove implementation bottlenecks and constraints; and (iii) agree on a set of actions to be implemented by the project in the next six to twelve months period.

Le monde d’aujourd’hui est plein de paradoxes, parfois grotesques – ainsi, 870 millions de personnes souffrent de la faim alors qu’un tiers de l’ensemble de la production alimentaire est perdu ou gaspillé. Nous nous émerveillons devant les taux de croissance des pays à revenu intermédiaire; pourtant, des dizaines de millions de personnes y vivent en situation d’extrême pauvreté. Près de 75% des personnes les plus pauvres du monde vivent en milieu rural et tirent principalement leurs moyens d’existence de l’agriculture, tout en produisant plus de 80% de la nourriture consommée en Afrique subsaharienne et en Asie. Et ils
sont nombreux à être eux-mêmes des acheteurs nets de denrées alimentaires.

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.

The thesis of this article is that governments of countries that plan their agricultural and rural development programmes on a large scale – typically covering the entire agriculture sector and including all or most of the important ingredients for agricultural growth and rural development – do better in terms of agricultural production and reduction of rural poverty and hunger than do country governments that do not invest broadly and at scale in such development.

Découvrez, dans le Rapport annuel 2012, les résultats et l'impact de l'activité du FIDA. Le document rapporte aussi les histoires de femmes et d'hommes avec qui nous travaillons dans les zones rurales – leurs problèmes et leurs succès. Le Rapport de cette année expose en outre les nouvelles orientations et les nouvelles initiatives du FIDA, qui contribuent à accroître la sécurité alimentaire et à réduire la pauvreté rurale dans l'ensemble du monde en développement. Et il présente les données et les chiffres que le Fonds communique périodiquement à ses États membres et à ses partenaires.