Combatting water scarcity is an economic decision, not a technological problem - IFAD to tell agriculture ministers

Rome, 20 January 2017 – While technologies may exist to ensure poor, developing-world farmers can access the water they need to grow enough food for their communities and countries, governments need to invest in them, said Perin Saint Ange, the Associate Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) en route to the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin, Germany.

Saint Ange is participating in an expert panel at the GFFA – an international conference focused on the global agri-food industry – and will provide recommendations to government ministers on how to harmonise agriculture and water policies to meet the needs of rural small-scale farmers.

“Any attempts to address water management must be environmentally, economically and socially sustainable so that we ensure long-term food security,” said Saint Ange.

IFAD signs US$25.5 million agreement to revitalize irrigation for drought-hit farmers in Zimbabwe

Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD.

Rome, 18 November 2016 – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Zimbabwe signed a US$25.5 million agreement today to revitalize 6,100 hectares in 152 existing smallholder irrigation schemes in the semi-arid zones in four provinces:  Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South and Midlands. Over 27,700 poor rural households will benefit from this programme.

The agreement was signed in Rome by Patrick Chinamasa, Minister for Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD.

The Smallholder Irrigation Revitalization Programme (SIRP) will cover some 46 per cent of the country’s estimated total irrigation-equipped area of about 13,000 hectares. The total cost of the project is US$51.3 million, including $15 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development, $7.9 million from the Government of Zimbabwe and $3.2 million from the beneficiaries themselves.

Make ‘rural transformation a reality,’ IFAD President tells Member States at annual meeting

Governing Council also endorses International Day of Family Remittances

 

 

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Rome, 17 February 2015 – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) ended its 38th Governing Council meeting today by renewing its commitment to tackle persistent poverty and continued food insecurity by transforming rural areas in developing countries through better quality investments, ensuring greater equality and IFADinclusive growth that delivers economic benefits for women, youth and other marginalized people.

In his closing address, IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze said that “aid will work itself out of a job only once we have achieved rural transformation so that rural areas provide employment, services and opportunities for the three billion people who live in them, and particularly for those whose lives depend on smallholder farms.” This echoed Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, who spoke about the future of aid at the inaugural IFAD Lecture Series on the same day.

The fifth global meeting of the Farmers' Forum

What is the Farmers’ Forum?

It is an on-going, bottom-up process of consultation and dialogue between small farmers’ and rural producers’ organizations (FOs), IFAD and governments, focused on agricultural and rural development and poverty reduction. The Forum is rooted in concrete partnerships and collaborations at the country and regional levels. The Farmers’ Forum was born in 2005 and it meets every two years for a global consultation, in conjunction with the Governing Council of IFAD.

Who will be attending?

 Farmers’ representatives attending the global meeting of the Forum are nominated by its Steering Committee. On 17 - 18 February 2014, over 90 farmers’ leaders, representing millions of smallholders and rural producers from all over the world, will come together to celebrate the International Year of Family Farming, to interact with IFAD staff and selected partners, including FAO, AgriCord, the European Commission (EC), Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation (BMGF),  research institutes and NGOs. The Forum will be opened by the President of IFAD, Kanayo Nwanze.  Its closing session, in the afternoon of Tuesday, 18 February, will be open to the representatives of IFAD's Governing Bodies.  

Fishers in the spotlight
During the global meeting of the Farmers' Forum in 2012, a working group was organized to discuss how fishers’ organizations and collective actions can contribute to sustainable management of marine resources. One of the recommendations that came out of this working group was to "hold a special session on small-scale fisheries during the next global meeting of the Farmers’ Forum to promote understanding of their role in food security and increase the recognition and visibility of their sector before policy makers." Therefore, a special session was held on 8 February 2014 to better define the process for the development of more structured operational partnerships between IFAD and fishers’ organizations on small-scale fishery development and support to the implementation of the Small-scale Fisheries Guidelines.