On February 14, 2018, members of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) agreed to a program of loans and grants totaling $3.5 billion (USD) to reduce poverty, end hunger and increase resilience to climate change in rural communities around the world.
IFAD estimates that the funding will allow it to support 45 million smallholder farmers in increasing productivity and market access, build resilience to climate change of 24 million smallholders, and improve nutrition for 12 million people. Members also agreed to measures that are expected to deepen and improve the Fund’s operation over the coming three years.
IFAD President Gilbert Houngbo stated that the Fund’s future work will focus on climate, nutrition, gender equality and youth employment.
In her keynote address, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, described the challenges of leaving no one behind under conditions of climate change and population growth. She called for investments in the development of “rural social fabric and climate resilience.”
Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, cited the current water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa, to underline the threat that climate change impacts represent to rural communities in Africa. He stressed that, “in Africa, climate change is no longer an abstract concept, but a reality.”
Photo courtesy of IFAD,
See full article by Stefan Jungcurt on IISD website.
See International Fund for Agricultural Development website.