Savoirs

Many rural development efforts in Western and Central Africa have focused on how to improve poor farmers’ yields. But better yields have not always translated into greater incomes. As the use of cassava has grown, the role of efficient markets and a better coordinated cassava chain have become increasingly important to producers and processors who depend on a stable cassava sector for income.

IFAD’s work in the region is guided by the organization’s Strategic Framework, its four thematic priorities for the region and by individual country strategic opportunities papers (COSOPs), reflecting governments’ own priorities in rural development and prepared in consultation with governments, donors and other partners.

The Oversight Committee (OVC) was established in May 2000 with a mandate to coordinate investigations into alleged irregular practices, namely (i) fraud and corruption, when applied to entities, contractors and non-staff individuals applying for or participating in IFAD-financed activities, and (ii) staff misconduct. The efforts of the Fund to prevent the incidence of fraud and corruption in its activities and operations were further boosted through the adoption of an anticorruption policy by the Executive Board in November 2005. Throughout 2006, IFAD worked towards introducing the structures and tools required for implementing its anticorruption policy. In 2006, the investigative capacity of the OVC was considerably reinforced with the establishment of the Investigation Section within the Office of Internal Audit. The OVC took specific actions to model its operating procedures and practices according to quality standards and best practices. It also took the lead in other activities related to implementation of the IFAD anticorruption policy, which included organizing an external review of the Fund’s investigation and sanction processes. The review prompted a major institutional reform of IFAD’s legal framework and procedures for conducting investigations and imposing sanctions, including the disbanding of the OVC, redefinition of the role of the Office of Internal Audit (renamed the Office of Audit and Oversight), establishment of a sanctions committee, and development of debarment procedures. These changes were introduced in early 2007, aligning IFAD with best practices applied by other United Nations agencies and the major multilateral development banks in this area. 

Secure access by rural poor people to both land and water is central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular the target of reducing by half the proportion of people living in extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.

Most of these people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

However, international debate continues to address land and water issues separately, and to view the significant use of water in agriculture as problematic.

Le projet First Mile est destiné à aider les petits agriculteurs, les commerçants, les
transformateurs et les autres acteurs des zones rurales pauvres à mettre en place des filières
commerciales reliant les producteurs aux consommateurs. Une bonne communication est
vitale. Le projet encourage les membres de communautés rurales isolées à utiliser le téléphone
mobile, le courrier électronique et l'Internet pour s'échanger des données d'expérience et de
bonnes pratiques locales, dans le cadre d'un apprentissage mutuel. Si les technologies de la
communication sont importantes, le succès réel de l'entreprise dépend du renforcement de la
confiance et de l'esprit de collaboration tout au long de la filière commerciale. Les agriculteurs
et les autres intervenants finissent par acquérir les connaissances et l'expérience locales
nécessaires et par les partager – même avec les membres de communautés éloignées – pour
concevoir ainsi des idées nouvelles.

Vous pouvez découvrir, dans le Rapport annuel 2005, les résultats des activités du FIDA. Le document présente aussi des récits concernant les populations rurales dans lesquelles nous investissons, et évoque les activités de plaidoyer que nous menons pour que les besoins des communautés rurales demeurent en tête des priorités dans l'agenda international pour le développement.

The IFAD Oversight Committee (OVC) was established by the President of IFAD in May 2000 to coordinate investigations into alleged irregular practices as a means of ensuring consistent, prompt and appropriate responses to allegations. The OVC investigates allegations of irregular practices pertaining to activities within IFAD or in connection with operations and contracts financed by IFAD, decides on the investigative actions to be taken, determines the role of IFAD in investigations involving external parties (such as national authorities or cooperating institutions), and reports to the President the facts that have emerged from the investigation.