International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

On #SouthSouthCooperation Day, explore how IFAD investments help unlock greater impact at scale by fostering collaboration and mobilizing knowledge, resources and partnerships among low- and middle-income countries facing shared challenges. Why does South-South and Triangular Cooperation matter? Through the support of multilateral institutions and development partners, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (#SSTC) facilitates knowledge exchange and the transfer of technologies, expertise and resources. IFAD uses its investments and financing to enable these exchanges, strengthen country capacities and support the adaptation of solutions to local contexts. How can investment drive transformation? Strategic investment can deliver tailored, cost-effective solutions while creating mutually beneficial partnerships that strengthen rural economies and communities. SSTC also helps countries finance responses to complex challenges such as climate shocks, food insecurity and economic inequality. IFAD works to ensure these investments are country-led, demand-driven and focused on measurable impact on the ground. What is the opportunity moving forward? The opportunity is to move beyond sharing solutions and invest in scaling them up by mobilizing capital, leveraging partnerships and deploying resources more strategically to transform rural economies and build more resilient communities. By investing in South-South and Triangular Cooperation, we can turn knowledge into action, partnerships into financing opportunities and proven solutions into scalable impact. Read more about SSTC at https://lnkd.in/eB9a9rum #FinancingTheFirstMile

Last week at #AFSForum2026, the IFAD delegation, led by Vice-President Gérardine Mukeshimana, PhD, reaffirmed the importance of investing in ecosystems that make food production more profitable and resilient – catalyzing partnerships that connect producers to markets and drive rural transformation where returns are greatest.   Read our latest newsletter to learn more.   #FinancingtheFirstMile #IFAD14

Dr. Alvaro Lario works to help farmers thrive all over the world.  Growing up in Spain in a family of farmers, his family sold fruits in local rural villages. Now as President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) he is unlocking opportunities for small scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs around the world. “All of these people are extremely entrepreneurial. They're extremely creative. They have a lot of willingness and energy. Many times it's just the lack of opportunity or the lack of means, and I think that's what makes this job or this role very rewarding.” On Awake At Night, Alvaro reflects on attracting private sector investment for those projects, on what indigenous groups can teach others about resilience to global shocks, and shares how building one new road can transform thousands of lives. https://lnkd.in/dN43qA_i

From #Rwanda to #France, stronger agricultural value chains are creating jobs, expanding market access and generating new income opportunities for rural communities. Through IFAD-financed investments and collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and private sector partners, producers were able to strengthen productivity and secure long-term agreements with international buyers such as Pépite by Agro Sourcing. The result: stronger value chains, greater resilience to global shocks and a 26% increase in incomes. This is the impact of #FinancingTheFirstMile of food systems – combining public finance, private sector engagement and local organizations to create long-term economic opportunities for rural communities. #IFAD14 | Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères | Ministère de l’Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle et numérique | Ministry of Agriculture & Animal Resources

The population of the #Sahel is projected to exceed 500 million by 2050, making it one of the world's fastest-growing regions. This presents significant opportunities for long-term economic growth – particularly in rural areas, where more than two-thirds of the population lives. Yet unlocking this potential requires overcoming persistent challenges such as ongoing insecurity, population displacement and restricted access to productive assets, all of which continue to limit economic opportunities in rural communities. Designed, implemented and financed as a three-way collaboration between IFAD, FAO and the World Food Programme the Joint Programme for the Sahel in Response to the Challenges of COVID-19, Conflict and Climate Change (SD3C) aims to build resilience and strengthen the livelihoods of an estimated 854,750 people across the region. With support from the programme, a women’s cooperative in Burkina Faso managed to transform a small-scale peanut processing activity into a fast-growing enterprise with a vision for long-term sustainability. As a result, the cooperative increased its profits nearly tenfold. A success driven not only by higher production volumes but by greater value addition.The cooperative converts non-standard peanuts into peanut butter – the revenue from which has more than doubled. Read more about how SD3C is creating economic opportunity across the Sahel at https://lnkd.in/efhGXRxv #FinancingTheFirstMile

At #AFSForum2026, IFAD and The World Bank Group co-hosted the AgriConnect: The Road to 300 Million event. Launched in October 2025, #AgriConnect aims to connect 300 million family and smallholder farmers globally to markets, finance and agricultural services by 2030. One year on, Africa is already playing a leading role. Half of the first 10 AgriConnect country compacts were launched in Africa, and IFAD and the World Bank Group have together reached at least 10 million farmers through targeted investments. In Kigali this week, partners looked at what is working, what we are learning and what needs to happen next. Reaching 300 million farmers will require better connected investments, fewer barriers for farmers and rural businesses, and more practical ways for the private sector to participate. It also means designing investments with scale in mind from the start. AgriConnect is focusing on six areas where there is strong potential to scale up results, including AgTech, innovative finance, farmer cooperatives, infrastructure, policy reform, and skills, extension and research. The next phase will be about turning ambition into coordinated delivery and bringing more partners to the table, including investors, MDBs and other institutions ready to commit resources. Read more at https://lnkd.in/eqd64yqK #FinancingTheFirstMile | #IFAD14 | AFS Forum

IFAD, Bank of Kigali Plc and Aceli Africa announced today a new partnership to strengthen agricultural financing in #Rwanda through a new financing agreement that will improve access to finance for farmers’ organizations and smallholder farmers. This investment is part of the Farmers' Organizations Financing Programme – Rwanda (FOFP-R), a US$21 million blended finance initiative combining US$12 million in IFAD financing with an additional US$9 million in co-financing from Bank of Kigali. The programme is expected to strengthen approximately 215 farmers’ organizations, extend financing to around 172 of them, and benefit more than 35,000 smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, across key value chains including maize, rice, cassava, dairy and horticulture. IFAD’s financing combines a US$9 million loan with a US$1.8 million risk-sharing grant and US$1.2 million in technical assistance. Together, these instruments are designed to reduce risk, improve the financial and governance capacity of farmers’ organizations. The non-sovereign operation has been financed through the IFAD Private Sector Trust Fund and also benefits from financial support from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) and the Government of Canada. Gérardine Mukeshimana, PhD, IFAD Vice-President, highlighted the broader shift towards innovative financing solutions, noting that “innovation goes beyond technology to include finance, institutions, partnerships and entrepreneurship.” Read more at https://lnkd.in/eb5vAEZA #FinancingTheFirstMile | #IFAD14 | #AFSForum2026 | #InternationalDevelopment | Embassy of Canada to Italy, in Rome / Ambassade du Canada en Italie à Rome | AFS Forum

At #AFSForum2026, IFAD and Equity Bank Limited kicked off the Africa Rural Climate Adaptation Finance Mechanism (ARCAFIM), a US$200 million, private sector-led mechanism built to scale access to climate adaptation finance for smallholder farmers and rural businesses across East Africa. The mechanism runs for twelve years and is structured in two parts: US$180 million of lending capital and approximately US$20 million of technical assistance. ARCAFIM is convened with the co-financiers of the Green Climate Fund, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), and also co-financed by the Government of Denmark (Udenrigsministeriet) and the European Union. The programme will operate in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, providing financing to approximately 260,000 smallholder producers and 500 rural MSMEs. At least 50% of beneficiaries will be women and 30% youth, helping strengthen food security for around 1.2 million people. Speaking during the launch, IFAD Vice-President Gérardine Mukeshimana, PhD said the success of climate adaptation finance will ultimately depend on its ability to translate global commitments into tangible investments in rural communities. Read more at https://lnkd.in/ePrhGcj2 #FinancingTheFirstMile #IFAD14 | AFS Forum