International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

08/06/2026

Last week at the , IFAD highlighted a lesson learned from decades of rural investment: lasting transformation for small-scale producers happens when interventions address the entire value chain through access to finance, job creation and market opportunities.

And the strongest results emerge when rural communities are part of the design process from the start.

For 25 years, IFAD and the Global Environment Facility have partnered to bring environmental finance to the first mile of food systems through a joint portfolio of more than US$270 million across 50 projects, supported by nearly US$1.9 billion in co-financing. Together with FAO, IFAD and GEF also co-lead the Food Systems Integrated Program (FSIP), supporting 32 countries in advancing more resilient and sustainable food systems.

At the event, IFAD emphasized the critical role of small-scale producers in delivering climate, biodiversity and land restoration outcomes, and the importance of financing approaches that connect global ambition with locally led action.

As discussions on advance, IFAD remains committed to mobilizing investment that strengthens livelihoods, resilience and natural resource management where it matters most – at the first mile.


Photos by IISD/ENB | Danny Skilton

07/06/2026

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06/06/2026

What does rural transformation look like when systems work together?

During a recent visit to , IFAD Associate Vice-President Donal Brown saw firsthand how connecting producers to markets, entrepreneurs to finance and communities to opportunity can unlock lasting economic growth.

From women-led enterprises in Maharashtra to farmer organizations in Telangana and entrepreneurship hubs in Meghalaya, the visit showed that rural prosperity is built when finance, infrastructure, technology, markets and community institutions work in concert.

This integrated "Finance Plus" approach, which combines investment with institution-building, partnerships and long-term systems development, is at the heart of the India-IFAD partnership and the new Country Strategic Opportunities Programme, which aims to reach more than 3 million people through climate-smart value chains, inclusive finance and strengthened rural institutions.

As India demonstrates, investing in rural transformation means investing beyond production and creating the connections that allow rural people, businesses and communities to thrive.

Read Donal Brown's reflections from his visit and learn more about the future of the India-IFAD partnership at https://bit.ly/4uYAZrs

04/06/2026

At the launch of the Ghana Compact, IFAD reaffirmed its partnership with the Government of , the World Bank Group, and other partners to accelerate the transformation of agri-food systems and drive inclusive economic growth in the country.

The Compact sets out a private sector-led, government-enabled approach to position agriculture as a key driver of jobs, resilience and structural transformation. It targets major value chains including cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize, and poultry, alongside fisheries, tree crops and the forest economy.

By 2030, the initiative aims to improve food and nutrition security for nearly 3 million people and create more than 2.6 million jobs across production, processing and market systems.

Building on their long-standing partnership, IFAD and Ghana will continue to invest in increasing agricultural productivity, strengthening rural finance and improving market linkages as part of a broader effort to advance inclusive and resilient rural transformation in the country.

Continue reading at bit.ly/3RKctvq

World Bank Ghana |

03/06/2026

For 25 years, IFAD and the Global Environment Facility have worked together to bring global environmental finance to the first mile – where nature, climate, food security and livelihoods intersect.

This week, IFAD is at the – joining partners from around the world to advance solutions for rural people and their communities.

That partnership is already delivering at scale. The Food Systems Integrated Programme (FSIP) – developed jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by GEF – is working across 32 countries to transform agrifood systems from farm to table: sustainable, nature positive, resilient, inclusive and pollution-free.

With around US$280 million in GEF grants and roughly US$2.2 billion in total investments, the programme shows what integrated approaches can unlock.

As discussions on begin, there is a clear opportunity to move from levers to markets. IFAD is calling for rural people and small-scale producers to be placed at the centre of climate, biodiversity, land, water and food systems solutions.

Throughout the Assembly, IFAD will contribute to discussions on:
🔹Food systems transformation
🔹Blended finance and investment mobilization
🔹Policy coherence and integrated approaches
🔹Inclusive rural development

02/06/2026

Small-scale farmers manage some of the world's most important natural resources. Yet the environmental benefits they generate – from restoring ecosystems to protecting water sources and storing carbon – often go unrewarded.

Through CompensACTION, supported by the Government of through IFAD's ASAP+ programme, IFAD is helping change that. By expanding access to Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanisms and carbon markets, the initiative is creating new income opportunities for rural communities while advancing climate, biodiversity and food security goals.

From cocoa producers adopting agroforestry practices in to communities protecting critical watersheds in , CompensACTION is showing how aligning economic incentives with environmental outcomes can strengthen both rural livelihoods and landscapes.

With new pilots underway in , the initiative is contributing to sustainable financing models that recognize and reward the role of small-scale producers as stewards of the environment.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/4x4OJlO



Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)

01/06/2026

A high-level IFAD delegation led by Donal Brown, IFAD’s Associate Vice-President for Operations, met with Mexican government officials to coordinate joint efforts under ’s new country strategy.

Developed by IFAD and the Government of Mexico, the new Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for 2026–2031 will guide IFAD’s investments in the country, with a focus on improving productivity, creating jobs, promoting private sector participation and strengthening resilience, particularly in Mexico’s southern states.

The strategy will support small-scale producers through stronger market access, technological innovation, climate-smart solutions and greater social and economic inclusion.

”Mexico and IFAD have a long-standing partnership based on a shared vision of rural transformation. The COSOP for 2026–2031 reflects this shared vision and is aligned with national priorities aimed at strengthening agricultural production, generating employment and expanding opportunities in the most vulnerable rural areas,” said Donal Brown.

Building on more than four decades of partnership, IFAD and the Gobierno de México are working together to create more resilient, inclusive and productive rural economies.

Read the full press release at https://bit.ly/3RWbc4h

30/05/2026

What does it take to strengthen rural livelihoods at scale?

In , Rural Adelante shows how targeted investment in rural people can contribute to a broader strategy for poverty reduction, economic inclusion and resilience-building.

With US$18.9 million in financing from IFAD and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the project reached nearly 20,000 rural households, supporting smallholder farmers to increase productive capacity, improve market integration and adopt more resilient agricultural practices.

Its design placed particular emphasis on women, youth and Indigenous Peoples, groups that are often central to rural transformation, yet disproportionately excluded from opportunity.

By combining productive support, access to finance, technical assistance and market linkages, Rural Adelante addressed multiple structural constraints at once – from limited liquidity and information asymmetries to weak market access. This approach helped unlock income opportunities, strengthen rural assets and enhance participants’ capacity to withstand shocks.

The results point to more than household-level gains. They illustrate the value of coordinated rural investment as a pathway to inclusive rural development and longer-term poverty alleviation:

🔹77% increase in gross income for fishing, aquaculture and livestock
🔹52.1% increase in total production value

When rural development interventions are designed to address interconnected constraints, they can generate impacts that extend beyond individual beneficiaries and contribute to more inclusive, resilient and sustainable national development pathways.

Read more at https://bit.ly/49viv9c

29/05/2026

At , IFAD President Álvaro Lario underscored nutrition’s central role in rural transformation.

Nutrition starts long before the plate, with farmers who have access to quality inputs, markets that connect them to buyers, functioning value chains that move food reliably from field to kitchen, infrastructure that reduces losses and policies that make all of this possible.

Aligned with national development priorities, integrates nutrition across investments, and strengthens monitoring to track real progress on the ground. Because systems thinking without finance remains theoretical, and finance without functioning food systems delivers limited impact.

Closing the nutrition gap doesn't stop at knowledge. It requires investment, coordination and collective action across the entire food system.

29/05/2026