Savoirs

Ghana has the third largest IFAD country programme in the West and Central Africa region. The programme contributes to building inclusive and
sustainable institutions, backed by pro-poor investments and policies as well as relevant innovation and learning. IFAD supports the main thrusts of the government’s Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda – including accelerated agricultural modernization, sustainable natural resource
management and enhanced private-sector competitiveness. 

Its work also aligns with Ghana’s Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan on food security, income growth and other programme areas related to rural poverty reduction.

Somalia’s poverty and food security situation remains critical after years of conflict and natural disasters. Since the 1980s, IFAD has supported nine programmes in the country for a total of US$140 million.
There is currently no country strategic opportunities programme for Somalia.

However, the strategic objectives of IFAD interventions in Somalia can be summarized as follows:
• Increase incomes and food security by supporting agriculture and related activities, improving access to water, sanitation and health care, strengthening the natural resource base and building rural financial services;
• Identify and promote pro-poor investment mechanisms in rural areas for dissemination, replication and scaling up; and
• Build the capacity of the diaspora and promote the transformation of people in the diaspora into agents of development through remittances – the portion of their earnings that migrants outside the country send home.

The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) is a global knowledge and advocacy network that promotes understanding of sustainable pastoral development for both poverty reduction and sustainable environmental management. WISP was executed by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN).

The Programme built the capacity of pastoral institutions to engage in advocacy based on state-of-the-art global learning on sustainable pastoralism, enabling pastoralist institutions around the world to network and shared experiences and opportunities, and ensured that the voice of pastoralists remained central to policy discourse and learning.

Land is fundamental to the lives of poor rural people. It is a source of food, shelter, income and social identity.

Secure access to land reduces vulnerability to hunger and poverty. But for many of the world’s poor rural people in developing countries, access is becoming more tenuous than ever. 

IFAD recognizes that small island developing states are different than other developing countries. 

They face constraints that are quite particular to their size, remoteness, insularity and ocean resource base. In the light of a changing world and new challenges faced by rural people living in SIDS, IFAD recently took the opportunity of the Global Conference on Small Island Developing States held in Samoa in 2014 to articulate its lessons learned and current approach to financing investment in rural people in its paper presented at the Conference, IFAD’s approach in Small Island Developing States.

L’accès équitable à la terre et la sécurité foncière des groupes cibles du FIDA sont essentiels au développement rural et à l’éradication de la pauvreté. La sécurité foncière influe sur la mesure dans laquelle les agriculteurs sont disposés à investir dans l’amélioration de la production et de la gestion des terres. Elle façonne les relations sociales et contribue à la stabilité de la société – ou plutôt, son absence contribue à l’instabilité et aux conflits sociaux. La sécurité foncière influence la répartition du produit de l’activité agricole entre les individus et les groupes, tant au sein des ménages qu’au sein des communautés. Elle peut aussi avoir un impact sur l’accès au crédit.

La petite production animale repose largement sur l’agriculture familiale et joue un rôle essentiel dans la subsistance des populations rurales pauvres, la sécurité alimentaire et la création d’emplois. L’élevage constitue une ressource alimentaire pour la consommation des ménages et offre des produits qui permettent de générer des revenus et de créer des rentrées d’argent rapides pour faire face aux situations d’urgence et aux chocs externes (conditions climatiques, maladies, volatilité des prix, etc.). L’élevage offre des atouts appréciables qui répondent aux divers besoins des petits exploitants (fumier, moyen de traction et de transport, etc.), tout en ayant une valeur culturelle et spirituelle. L’élevage de la volaille et des petits ruminants est généralement géré par les femmes, lesquelles en tirent des bénéfices directs.

To address food security problems and soaring prices for basic commodities, in December 2008 the European Union launched a Food Facility totalling €1 billion spread over three years, from 2009 to 2011. Under this initiative, the regional programme IFAD-EU-ECOWAS Food Facility was established with a budget of €20 million. The regional programme covers a number of countries in West Africa.

To assure food security and protect the population from recurrent crises, countries dependent on foreign aid for much of their food supply, such as Benin, Mali, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, have designed strategies and programmes to support food security that are intended to increase food production through the intensification of strategic crops such as rice, cassava, yams and ground nuts, and widespread use of selected seeds and mineral fertilizers.

The Belgian Fund for Food Security (BFFS) was created by the Belgian Parliament in 1983 in response to the more than one million drought- and faminerelated deaths in East Africa. BFFS provides grants to pay for rural development projects, with a focus on food security and nutrition, in some of the poorest countries in Africa, helping extremely poor people to become healthier and more productive and lowering the risk that they will face starvation. 

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized United Nations agency, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. It is dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and grants, it develops and finances programmes and projects that enable poor rural people to overcome poverty themselves.

What is the International Year of Family Farming? Small family farms are the key to reducing poverty and improving global food security. The United Nations declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) to recognize the importance of family farming in reducing poverty and improving global food security. The IYFF aims to promote new development policies, particularly at the national but also regional levels, that will help smallholder and family farmers eradicate hunger, reduce rural poverty and continue to play a major role in global food security through small-scale, sustainable agricultural production. 

The IYFF provides a unique opportunity to pave the way towards more inclusive and sustainable approaches to agricultural and rural development that: Recognize the importance of smallholder and family farmers for sustainable development; Place small-scale farming at the centre of national, regional and global agricultural, environmental and social policies; Elevate the role of smallholder farmers as agents for alleviating rural poverty and ensuring food security for all; as stewards who manage and protect natural resources; and as drivers of sustainable development.

The Twa “Pygmy” of the Republic of Burundi are a small minority of around 80,000 people that self-identify as indigenous and are considered as such by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN system. 

In February 2013, the First Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum took place at the IFAD headquarters in Rome, in conjunction with the 36th session of the Governing Council. In attendance at this inaugural meeting were 31 indigenous people’s representatives from 25 countries in Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean regions. Of the 19 Asia- Pacific regional representatives, two were from the Pacific; Mr. Anthony Wale, the Executive Director Aoke Langalanga Constituency Apex Association (ALCAA), and Ms Rufina Peter, Senior Research Officer at the PNG Institute of National Affairs.

During the meeting the Pacific representatives highlighted the need for the Pacific to have a “separate identity” as per the outcomes of Asia Pacific regional preparatory workshop in Bangkok. The issue was one of visibility for the Pacific Region due to its unique, rich and diverse cultures and traditions, its significant land and sea area and its high biodiversity. The Pacific Regional meeting proposed three action plans, of which the Pacific Regional Workshop in preparation of the Second Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD is a direct result.

The purpose of this Guide is to support institutional and organizational analysis and strengthening (IOA/S) for design and implementation of programmes and projects.
The Guide is designed to be a practical, hands-on set of directions to those needing to answer the following questions: “how to go about doing institutional and organizational analysis? And once I’ve done it, how do I go about using this analysis to promote sustainable institutions and organizations?”

This is intended as a user-friendly Guide, the use of which could help identify strategic partners and key areas for intervention at COSOP level; to deepen the COSOP analysis at the design stage by generating interventions that support sustainable institutions and organizations, and progress
at implementation stage should be easier to monitor and evaluate effectively. 

The International Fund for Agricultural Development works with small-scale farmers in 98 countries and territories around the world to help them overcome rural
poverty and increase food security. Since 1978, IFAD has invested over US$16 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached more
than 430 million people.

Agricultural development can be a major driver of poverty reduction. IFAD acts as an advocate for poor rural people, helping to create an enabling
environment – with appropriate policies, know-how, finance, infrastructure and market access – for them to improve their lives and livelihoods.

IFAD sees smallholder farmers as more than just victims of climate change: they are a vital part of the solution to the ‘wicked’ climate change problem.

The indigenous population of the Republic of Congo (RC) include the Baka, Mbendjele, Mikaya, Luma, Gyeli, Twa and Babongo peoples. Depending on sources, these peoples represent a small minority of 1.25 to 10 percent of RC’s estimated population of 4.4 million, primarily of Bantu origin.

La présente brochure met en lumière les raisons justifiant l'utilisation des FGP et examine les différents types d'accords de garantie ainsi que leurs forces, leurs faiblesses et les possibilités qu'ils offrent. Elle résume en outre l'expérience acquise au niveau mondial en matière de FGP. Elle a été rédigée à partir de consultations et d'études sur dossier guidées par les documents sur la Politique du FIDA en matière de finance rurale (2009) et les Outils décisionnels du FIDA en matière de finance rurale (2010). 

Pour réduire la pauvreté, l'un des outils essentiels consiste à ouvrir l'accès au système financier pour ceux qui en sont exclus. Les organisations financières à assise communautaire (community-based financial organizations – CBFO) sont souvent les seules structures disponibles pour fournir aux ruraux pauvres les services financiers essentiels, surtout dans les zones éloignées dépourvues d'infrastructures. 

 Le présent document examine les ICP et les AFP au niveau des institutions financières partenaires. Dans ce contexte, des objectifs clés de performance figurent dans différents documents, tels que plans stratégiques, plans d'activité et, éventuellement, budgets à différents niveaux. En outre, ils peuvent constituer un important instrument d'appui à la gestion fondée sur les résultats.

This Lessons Learned note provides practical suggestions and guidelines to CPMs and the country programme management to help them design and implement programmes and projects. 

The purpose of this guidance is to provide CPMTs with some observations based on lessons learned from IFAD and other donors’ projects, as well as from the World Bank Operations Evaluation Department (OED 2006) LOC review that may help in the design of LOCs. 

Strong links to markets for poor rural producers are essential to increasing agricultural income, generating economic growth in rural areas and reducing hunger and poverty. Every product that is sold locally, nationally or internationally is often part of an agricultural value chain (VC). From a development perspective, VCs are one of the instruments through which market forces can be harnessed to benefit poor rural women and men – not just producers, but wage earners, service providers and others.

This How To Do Note provides guidance on how to carry out a land assessment at the project design stage.

Through this assessment, it will be possible to identify key land tenure issues in the project area and to indicate how they can be resolved through project activities and interventions.

This note highlights lessons learned on pastoralism land rights and tenure aiming to inform the design and implementation of country strategies and projects from the point of view of land tenure issues faced by pastoralists.

It also provides examples of how IFAD has dealt with some of these issues through its programmes and projects.

Le FIDA a toujours adopté une approche proactive de ciblage des ruraux pauvres de tous âges, dans le but de réduire les inégalités sociales et économiques qui contribuent à générer et perpétuer la pauvreté.

Jusqu'à une date relativement récente, l'attention portée aux besoins et attentes des jeunes était limitée, car ils n'étaient pas considérés comme des acteurs à part entière mais plutôt comme des subordonnés, des bénéficiaires indirects et ils étaient dès lors invisibles.

De tels sentiments ont radicalement changé, et les projets financés par le FIDA sont de plus en plus nombreux à prendre des dispositions spécifiques en faveur du développement de la jeunesse.

The post-2015 development agenda can be structured to encourage governments and other actors to focus on strengthening the resilience of poor rural people and their livelihoods.

A number of targets that provide the basis to achieve this have already been proposed, particularly focusing on the promotion of more sustainable practices in agriculture.

La méthode GALS a été mise au point dans le cadre du programme Autonomisation de l’intégration des femmes et réseautage pour la justice de genre dans le développement économique (Women’s Empowerment Mainstreaming and Networking [WEMAN]) conduit par Oxfam Novib depuis 2008 avec des partenaires locaux et Linda Mayoux. L’application de cette méthode au développement des filières a été lancée à titre pilote par Oxfam Novib et ses partenaires en Ouganda grâce à un petit don du FIDA (2009-2011). La méthode a ensuite été déployée par Oxfam Novib avec des partenaires locaux au Nigéria, en Ouganda et au Rwanda avec l’appui d’un don plus important du FIDA (2011-2014) ainsi que dans d’autres pays grâce aux cofinancements d’autres donateurs. 

This note aims to inform the design and implementation of results-based country strategic opportunities programmes (RB-COSOPs) and projects by describing how youth are affected by insecurity of tenure and how such issues have been dealt with. It should be used at strategy, design and implementation stages.

The note explains the issues related to youth and land tenure and how they have been addressed in IFAD and other projects and programmes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

IFAD and UN-Habitat, through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), have entered into a partnership to implement the „Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (TSLI-ESA)‟. 

The initiative aims to improve knowledge management strategies and approaches towards pro-poor and gender-sensitive land and natural resource tenure rights in selected East and Southern African countries. 

Que peuvent faire les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) pour les 900 millions de personnes extrêmement pauvres vivant dans les zones rurales? 

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.

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. 

Méthodes innovantes d’amélioration sylvo-pastorale: Le cas du projet de lutte participative contre la désertification et de réduction de la pauvreté dans les écosystèmes arides et semi-arides des hauts plateaux de l’Oriental au Maroc.

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.  

La République du Niger a une population multi-ethnique, parmi laquelle, les Touareg, les Peulh et les Toubou s‘auto-identifient comme autochtones.

IFAD’s experience shows that, with the right support, rural communities can transform their existence in a sustainable way. Supporting the development and ownership of a viable private sector in rural areas plays a fundamental part.

We have always supported the rural private sector, providing primarily small- scale operators with financial and technical assistance to help them
improve their livelihoods.