IFAD
Bangladesh a star of growth, says IFAD urging continued focus on rural areas
Terming Bangladesh a growth star in the region, Reehana Rifat Raza, the regional director of the Asia and Pacific Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has urged Bangladesh to keep the focus on rural development.
“The rural economy is very important. You know, that's where a large share of people lives. Despite having heavy urbanization, it's not a sustainable path in some sense. And we have to look at how we make rural areas attractive economic centers,” she told UNB in an interview.
The rural areas should be made 'attractive' for economic growth to keep the people resilient to different shocks both on climate change and poverty fronts, she said
The economist who visited Bangladesh recently, said their projects are doing very well and there is a real benefit on the ground as they do impact assessments.
She said the countries like Bangladesh which are moving towards the next level of development have a real challenge as they have a large number of populations that live in the rural areas.
“The real challenge is when the structural change happens, and it happens in all the economies as they develop. We move from agriculture to industry and to services,” Raza said, emphasizing that they need to think about looking at shifting people and see how they generate the income because agriculture no longer can serve as the primary means of livelihood.
Raza, who joined IFAD in May 2022 from the Urban Institute in Washington D.C., USA, said they are looking at resilience and offering multiple means of generating incomes and helping the people live in the rural areas as climate change is a big issue there.
Small-scale farmers produce one-third of the world’s food, but receive only 1.7 per cent of climate finance, according to the international financial institution and specialized United Nations agency based in Rome.
IFAD is stepping up its investments globally to build small-scale farmers’ long-term resilience to climate change by dedicating 40 per cent of its core resources to climate action over the next three years, up from 35 per cent (equivalent to US$1.2 billion) over the previous three-year period.
READ: It's a priority for IFAD to invest in Bangladesh, says its regional director
Responding to a question on the situation in Ukraine and its impact on food prices, Raza said these are very difficult times and she thinks in difficult times, it is the poorest of the poor, who struggle the most as the inflationary impact is huge.
“I think it's going to be a huge challenge and a huge challenge for organizations like the IFAD and others who work in these economies to work with the rural poor,” said the economist who visited activities implemented under IFAD’s Bangladesh portfolio.
It is composed of eight ongoing projects with a total investment of US$1.25 billion that includes $475 million of IFAD financing, making Bangladesh IFAD’s second-largest country programme overall.
“Bangladesh is very good at taking advantage of its allocation,” said the IFAD official.
Responding to a question on Bangladesh’s economic situation, she said, “I think Bangladesh is doing very well. We see that across the board in the region. I'm also from this region. We see Bangladesh as the start compared to the other countries at the moment.”
Raza said there is a sort of “sustainable” growth and it is “very inclusive growth” in Bangladesh. “And I think this is the real thing to really commend the government of Bangladesh.”
Responding to a question on Sri Lanka, Raza said, “I think you are the least vulnerable. I think in countries like Sri Lanka, and even in Pakistan, these are not just economic crises, but political crises as well.”
Explaining why Bangladesh seems less vulnerable, she said, “You have an inclusive growth and people are seeing the real change. The challenge often is when governments can't deliver. That becomes a big problem for the governments. And then once you add a macro-economic crisis to that, it becomes very complicated.”
The regional director was on a mission to Bangladesh recently, her first official visit to the region since she took up appointment on 9 May 2022.
She took the opportunity to personally praise the government of Bangladesh for pledging US$2 million to IFAD’s 2022-2024 replenishment cycle.
This is the highest amount that Bangladesh has pledged during its 42-year membership to the fund.
Raza who previously served as a Senior Economist at The World Bank also commended the robust implementing capacity of national partners, which has been key to the success of the large and complex development portfolio.
IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience.
It's a priority for IFAD to invest in Bangladesh, says its regional director
Reehana Rifat Raza, the Regional Director of the Asia and Pacific Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said IFAD prioritises investment in Bangladesh.
She mentioned areas of cooperation such as climate change, youth, gender, food security and nutrition in its current and future development goals, according to an IFAD media release.
Also read:Rohingya repatriation: Bangladesh seeks more support from Singapore, ASEAN
While concluding her Bangladesh mission on Friday, Raza also commended the robust implementing capacity of national partners, a key to the success.
She was on a mission to Bangladesh this week - her first official visit to the region since she took up appointment on May 9, 2022.
The purpose of the visit was to meet with government counterparts, key development partners, the IFAD team in Bangladesh and to visit ongoing projects in the field.
In Dhaka, the IFAD delegation met with Amal Krishna Mandal, the Additional Secretary and Wing Chief, Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance.
Raza took the opportunity to personally praise the government of Bangladesh for pledging US$2 million to IFAD’s 2022-2024 replenishment cycle.
This is the highest amount that Bangladesh has pledged during its 42-year membership to the fund.
She visited activities implemented under IFAD’s Bangladesh portfolio, which is composed of eight ongoing projects with a total investment of US$1.25 billion, that includes $475 million of IFAD financing, making Bangladesh IFAD’s second-largest country programme overall.
Also read: It's a priority for IFAD to invest in Bangladesh, says its regional director
“Bangladesh has been doing tremendous work in rural development, empowering women and youth, transforming food systems and building climate resilience – all key interventions to achieving the sustainable development goals," said Arnoud Hameleers, IFAD Country Director, Bangladesh.
Bangladesh being the first country visited by the new Asia and the Pacific Regional Director clearly shows the importance of the long-standing and successful partnership between the government of Bangladesh and IFAD, said Hameleers.
Raza was joined by IFAD’s Director for the Operational Policy and Results Division, Nigel Brett and the Lead Portfolio Advisor of the Asia and the Pacific Region, Liam Francis Chicca.
IFAD for high value crop cultivation in Bangladesh
Country Director for IFAD Bangladesh Dr Arnoud Hameleers has said Bangladesh has taken a big step from being food deficient to food self-sufficient.
"To keep the sector active, we need dynamic activities, such as high value crop cultivation and its commercialization and increase the export of agricultural produces," he said.
Read: IFAD, govt start distributing HVG inputs, processing equipment to smallholder farmers
Dr Hameleers met Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Thursday and discussed achievements in the agricultural sector as well as challenges faced by rural and climate-vulnerable farmers.
Global food systems must be changed: IFAD
Transforming global food systems to become more inclusive, fair and sustainable may seem an insurmountable challenge, yet there are concrete actions policymakers can take, says a new report on Tuesday.
The report was released by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
“We are living in a world of huge and unfair contradictions. There are 800 million hungry people and yet high obesity rates. Nutritious diets are expensive yet many small-scale farmers are poor. Current food growing practices are not good for our environment. It is clear that we need a revolution. A revolution so dramatic that previous versions of food systems are unrecognizable,” said Dr. Jyotsna Puri.
Read: Agroecology can address food systems failures: IFAD
Puri is the Associate Vice President of IFAD’s Strategy and Knowledge Department that leads the production of the Rural Development Report, IFAD’s flagship publication.
Puri sees this week’s UN Food Systems Summit as a watershed moment to commit to real change, with the Rural Development Report offering governments recommendations for concrete actions that can be taken.The Food Systems Summit on September 23 under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, is intended to result in actionable commitments from heads of state and other leaders to transform global food systems.
It is a culmination of 18 months of engagement with governments, food producers, civil society and companies on how to transform the way we produce, process and consume food.
PR 58 RDR
The report, Transforming food systems for rural prosperity, stresses the importance of focusing investments and policy changes on rural food value chains so that all people can access adequate nutritious food in a manner that does not harm the environment, and so that food producers can earn decent incomes.
The majority of people in rural areas earn an income from working in small-scale agriculture, which is a vital source of national and global food. In fact, farms of up to 2 hectares produce 31 percent of the world’s food on less than 11 percent of the farmland.
The key recommendations of the report include:
Invest more in rural farms and local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that support activities after the farm gate, such as storing, processing, marketing and food distribution. A focus on local ownership and employment will increase job opportunities, particularly for women and young people, while giving small-scale farmers access to new and diverse markets.
Make available innovations (such as nature based solutions and agro-ecology) and affordable digital technologies to boost rural small-scale famers’ production so that farmers can be climate-resilient, using low carbon and sustainable techniques.
Read: 123 mln rural people reached as IFAD steps up fight against hunger, poverty
Develop and focus on pricing systems that reflect the full and true cost of production, including rewarding farmers for ecosystem services, such as maintaining healthy soil and regulating pests. Promote accessible and affordable nutritious food. At least 3 billion people cannot currently afford healthy diets.
Changing this requires focusing on nutrition education, empowering women to make nutrition decisions, and stronger government policies to regulate and steer market choices.
Governments can use market-based instruments, income support and public procurement to focus on nutrition-rich foods. Engage to rebalance global trade and governance to correct power imbalances.
The present concentration of power within food systems calls for rethinking regulations and trade arrangements so that rural people in developing countries can benefit.
Food markets need to be accessible to rural people, and on fair terms. Incentives need to be in place to reward nature-based practices and local, healthy diets.
“We know what needs to change to make the production, marketing and consumption of food fair and sustainable, which results in nutritious, affordable food for all. This report gives strong evidence and recommendations for specific actions. Now we need the investments and political will to take action,” said Puri.
Over the past 70 years, a focus on industrial farming and producing more calories at low cost has been accompanied by growing malnutrition, increased food waste, and a high environmental cost.
Food systems are responsible for 37 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and are also highly vulnerable to a changing climate.
123 mln rural people reached as IFAD steps up fight against hunger, poverty
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged around the world pushing millions more people into hunger and poverty, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) increased its support for the most vulnerable and marginalized people, according to the IFAD Annual Report 2020 released on Thursday.
With 203 ongoing projects and total financing of US$7.5 billion, IFAD was able to reach 123 million people in 2020.
“Despite the challenges of 2020, we remain convinced that our vision of a world free of poverty and hunger is attainable and should remain in focus,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD.
“Doing more to build the resilience of rural people does not only mean scaling up investments. It also means going further to reach the people most likely to be left behind, to ensure the rural women and men IFAD serves are better prepared to overcome the challenges they face.”
Also read: Food systems that ignore needs of poor are doomed to fail: IFAD
As the impacts of the pandemic threatened to roll back years of development progress, disrupt food system and cause a secondary “hunger pandemic”, IFAD country teams immediately began working with governments to adjust ongoing projects so rural people could maintain their income-generating activities and not be forced to sell their meagre assets.
IFAD works in 35 countries across Asia-Pacific, with 55 ongoing programmes and projects for a total investment of US$2.55 billion.
This includes an additional US$ 365.8 million approved in 2020.
Rural people in Asia and the Pacific are facing a range of challenges and threats, with climate-related hazards being among the most severe.
For groups who have traditionally faced exclusion, these threats are exacerbated.
Also read: IFAD to provide US$18.07mn to Bangladesh for COVID-19 recovery activities
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have added to existing vulnerabilities, undermining food systems and livelihoods in the region.
Building resilience to multiple threats is a priority for IFAD in its work in Asia and the Pacific.
Inclusion is a strong theme across our portfolio, with women, youth and ethnic minorities receiving particular attention.
In April 2020, IFAD launched the Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) with support from its Executive Board and member states such as Canada and Germany that made contributions.
The Facility has helped rural people hang on to their livelihoods in this difficult period while also maintaining the supply of food.
With supply chains and transportation disrupted, small-scale farmers have received seeds, fertilizer and other support to continue planting and production.
Support for digital services like e-marketing and e-money were increased.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Pacific Islands, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea are among the countries to receive assistance from the RPSF.
In 2020 IFAD stepped up its work with particularly marginalized groups including women, youth, disabled persons and indigenous peoples.
New grass-roots activities started, and 10 times as many people participated in the Fifth Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum as ever before.
The report outlines how IFAD is revamping its financial infrastructure to be able to invest more and reach more rural people while managing risks.
In 2020 IFAD obtained AA+ credit ratings from Fitch and Standard and Poor’s, creating opportunities to mobilize more resources. Ongoing decentralization, with a third of IFAD staff now in the field, means that IFAD can increase partnerships and policy engagement and improve results by being closer to its clients.
IFAD received record commitments of funding from Member States following the launch of the Twelfth Replenishment of its resources (IFAD12) in February 2020, with the goal of doubling the Fund’s impact by 2030. With a target programme of work of at least $11 billion for 2022-2024, IFAD expects to raise the incomes of 83 million people by at least 20 per cent.
New programmes will increase attention to climate change impacts and resilience (ASAP+), and leverage new investment by the private sector (the Private Sector Financing Programme, or PSFP).
IFAD invests for long-term sustainable results and targets the root causes of hunger, poverty and marginalization.
It works exclusively in rural areas, where three-quarters of the world’s poorest and hungry people live.
IFAD is bringing its experience to the preparations for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit and is already planning how to help build back better after the pandemic, ensuring that food systems work for the people who work in them—especially the small-scale farmers who grow a third of the world’s food.
A digital report for a virtual age, the IFAD Annual Report 2020 also shows the faces behind the numbers through regional video and stories.
Food systems that ignore needs of poor are doomed to fail: IFAD
President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Gilbert F Houngbo on Friday said their attempts to create more equitable and sustainable food systems are doomed to fail if they ignore the challenges and needs of rural people in the world’s poorest countries.
“Rural people have long been sidelined in food value chains. While they toil to produce much of our food, too often they receive a pittance for their efforts and are left vulnerable to shocks,” said the President of IFAD, the UN agency which leads on tackling rural poverty and hunger.
READ: IFAD President lauds Bangladesh for significant projects implementation capacity
Ahead of the UN Food Systems pre-Summit that begins in Rome on Monday, he said this is a critical moment to address the inequity of food systems.
“Without concrete actions that result in real changes for rural producers, hunger and poverty will only grow, and increased instability and migration will follow,” he added.
Rural small-scale farmers produce about a third of global food, and supply up to 80 per cent of food in parts of Africa and Asia.
Although they play a major role in keeping food systems functioning, they themselves often go hungry.
In 2020, this was exacerbated by climate change, conflict, and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a dramatic increase in global hunger, according to a report jointly released by five UN agencies including IFAD last week.
One in 10 now go hungry
At the pre-Summit (26-28 July), IFAD will join thousands of governments, companies, development agencies, farmers and civil society organisations to discuss ways to transform how we grow, process, sell and consume food to make it more sustainable and equitable.
The pre-Summit aims to establish a common vision, launch commitments and mobilize partnerships for financing.
“If we want to fix food systems, listen to the people who work in them,” said Houngbo. “Rural small-scale producers are the ones who understand their own challenges and can guide what solutions are needed.”
To gather input from rural producers across the world, IFAD launched its Rural Voices platform this week. Shirley Casachagua, from a remote area in Peru, is one of the contributors.
“No matter what continent, country or republic you live in, we are all children of the earth and we live off it,” she said. “I would like to ask world leaders to be a watchdog to large industries because they contribute more to climate change and this hurts all of us who live on the land.”
READ: IFAD names new country director for Bangladesh
IFAD has also collaborated with Farm Radio International to conduct surveys with remote rural people through radio programmes, and it has supported the organization of over 40 independent dialogues led by farmers’ organizations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups which will feed into the Summit process.
IFAD is calling for a number of key changes to food systems, including to commit financing and political will to ensure rural people can access the inputs, markets, financial services, technology and information they need to grow their businesses, adapt to climate change, protect the environment and biodiversity, and be more resilient to economic, health and weather shocks and to make food systems fairer and more equitable. Food systems depend on people’s labour, and those who work in them must earn decent livelihoods.
IFAD is also leading an initiative to unlock the potential of public development banks across the world to finance food systems transformation and help shift investments to more environmentally sustainable and fairer systems, and is hosting the official session at the pre-Summit: Mobilizing trillions for food systems transformation — financing for impact, leveraging the pivotal role of public development banks.
READ: IFAD to provide US$18.07mn to Bangladesh for COVID-19 recovery activities
Following the Food Systems Summit in September, countries will develop their own pathways to transform food systems, and IFAD will support its Member States to develop their strategies and put them into action.
IFAD President lauds Bangladesh for significant projects implementation capacity
The head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has lauded Bangladesh for its significant projects implementation capacity.
According to Gilbert F Houngbo, President of IFAD, Bangladesh is currently the largest portfolio of the Rome-based specialised UN agency and also one of the best performing portfolios with best practices in a number of areas.
Read: IFAD names new country director for Bangladesh
Gilbert shared his deep appreciation for the South Asian nation while receiving the credentials of Md Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh Ambassador to Italy, at a ceremony in Rome on Monday, accrediting him as the Permanent Representative to IFAD.
Ambassador Ahsan thanked the IFAD President for receiving his credentials and also expressed deep appreciation as Bangladesh and the UN agency enjoy "a very special relationship for more than 40 years being IFAD’s one of the first partner countries".
He also congratulated Gilbert for his reappointment as the sixth President of IFAD and underscored the importance of his reappointment to keep continuing his great work in the development of rural areas and marginalised people around the globe.
Ambassador Ahsan highlighted the dynamic leadership of the IFAD President to attain the record level of commitment of US$ 1.55 billion for the UN agency despite the Covid situation.
Read: IFAD to provide US$18.07mn to Bangladesh for COVID-19 recovery activities
The developing countries will now receive loans and grants of around US$ 3.8 billion during the 2022-24 replenishment cycles.
Bangladesh, considering its impressive utilisation capacity of resources, apart from receiving development assistance from the core contribution, can easily access newly created funds like borrowed resources, climate fund, and private sector window with less concessional terms based on demand.
This absorptive capacity of Bangladesh is a glaring example to other many developing countries in the world, the President noted.
Bangladesh is one of the very few countries which receive highest development assistance with significant project implementation capacity, along with the active representation in the Executive Board and Governance Structure of IFAD, Gilbert added.
While highlighting the “development journey” of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Ambassador briefed him about the outstanding performance of Bangladesh in the agriculture sector which received global recognition.
"Right after the independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman prioritised agricultural production with utmost importance thus establishing the rights of the marginalised people," he continued.
Ambassador Ahsan also told the IFAD President that Bangladesh attained food self-sufficiency under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He encouraged IFAD to maintain close consultations with the relevant Ministries and other stake-holders of the government of Bangladesh to familiarise with the technical and other aspects in respect of loans from different windows of IFAD in view of the new financing terms and conditions.
He also spoke of the need for identifying the requirements based on 8th Five-Year Plan and other sectoral priorities of Bangladesh like vulnerability to climate change, increased need for allocation of resources for adaptation and mitigation to address climate change, among others.
The Permanent Representative also drew attention about necessary support from IFAD to meet the particular challenges in agriculture and food security after graduation from the LDC status.
Manash Mitra, Economic Counsellor and Alternate Permanent Representative to IFAD, was present, while the IFAD President was accompanied by senior professionals of the agency.
IFAD to provide US$18.07mn to Bangladesh for COVID-19 recovery activities
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide Bangladesh with an additional loan of US$ 18.07 million to rebuild microenterprises and support smallholders, who have been affected adversely by the COVID-19 pandemic.
IFAD supports smallholder farmers with nutritious homestead vegetable gardening kits
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) have started distributing homestead vegetable gardening (HVG) kits among 26,000 smallholder farmers in coastal Bangladesh to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Development Banks for greater commitment to tackle global hunger, poverty
Thirteen Public Development Banks (PDBs), for the first time in history, made a joint commitment on Wednesday to strengthen investments in food and agriculture in the context of a global pandemic and a changing climate, with more signatories expected in the coming days.