Victoria Muteti, a 44-year old farmer living in Kenya’s Makueni County, has increased her harvest several times over. Luckily, she is able to keep farming during the COVID-19 pandemic, while observing all the necessary social distancing measures, and the extra income she’s made over the last two years has helped her improve her nutrition – along with many other facets of her life. Victoria owes these successes to her participation in an implemented by the Government of Kenya and jointly funded with and the European Union.
IFAD
Empowering and protecting rural women in the time of coronavirus
Pandemics create both demand and supply shocks in all economic sectors. Although the agricultural sector tends to be more resilient than other sectors, the food system in developing countries can still take a significant hit. And for countries that rely on food imports, a food systems crisis may hit earlier than the effects of the pandemic itself. deems essential that all interventions to protect food systems and rural producers, link projects and be holistic in design.
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 (). With US$40 million in seed money from IFAD, the multi-donor COVID-19 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.
Despite being confronted with an unprecedented threat, the (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 ’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. 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 (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 's holistic approach to managing agricultural risks, insurance is a valuable tool.
Five Ways Bamboo Can Fight Climate Change
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 .
Specialised production secures better income for rural households in China
This is the of  – 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.