Actor, filmmaker and humanitarian Idris Elba and actress, model and activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba have launched a new global coronavirus relief fund on behalf of the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). With US$40 million in seed money from IFAD, the multi-donor COVID-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility aims to raise at least an additional $200 million from governments, foundations and the private sector to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on rural small-scale farmers and producers.
IFAD
Despite being confronted with an unprecedented threat, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) partners with Brazilian organizations to quickly coordinate small rural producers to create hairnets and gowns for the local health departments. These efforts would not enjoy nearly as much success without the solidarity they have demonstrated – and which, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminds us, is crucial to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.
Don’t Allow the Coronavirus to Open Up Another Front
Cacao – the key ingredient in chocolate, and a major cash crop – is making a comeback in Sao Tome and Principe, thanks to IFAD’s assistance, tripling Sao Tome and Principe’s exports in comparison to just 12 years before.
Small family farms make up 85 per cent of all farms worldwide, and smallholder farmers make up the majority of the world’s rural poor. To mitigate the challenges that come with working in isolation − and to increase profitability and productivity − these smallholders often form organizations. Working together makes it easier for small-scale farmers to access raw materials, reach larger markets and reduce costs. And when farmers thrive, other players in the food system benefit, too.
Today we stand at a critical juncture – historic progress in reducing hunger has stalled, poverty remains stubbornly entrenched in some areas, and inequality is rising, while climate change is an existential threat to our food systems. IFAD invests in the millions of rural people, who are most at risk of being left behind: poor small-scale producers, women, young people, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups living in rural areas. During the period of its 12th Replenishment (2022-2024), IFAD is seeking to dramatically increase its impact to accelerate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.
While women do half the work in agriculture, they don’t get a fair share of the assets, resources or services that farmers need to make a living. As part of IFAD's holistic approach to managing agricultural risks, insurance is a valuable tool.
If most problems come from the land, so do the solutions. With sustainable land management practices, it is possible to mitigate, and reverse, some of the effects of climate change and land degradation. IFAD is funding 2 projects in Tajikistan.
Specialised production secures better income for rural households in China
This is the inaugural episode of Farms. Food. Future. – a podcast that’s Good for You, Good for the Planet and Good for Farmers and your Food.
Wool and mohair form the bedrock of Lesotho’s rural economy. The Wool and Mohair Promotion Project works with farmers to improve the quality and quantity of wool and mohair produced. The ultimate goal of the project is to boost the economic and climate resilience of poor, smallholder wool and mohair producers to the adverse effects of climate change in the mountain and foothill regions of Lesotho.
Protecting Villages From Flash Floods and Improving Livelihoods in the Haor Basin Wetlands
I’m a Potato Grower! Strengthening Innovation to Empower Potato Growers in the Andes