This week, IFAD and the Government of #India launched a new eight-year Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for 2026–2033 – a strategy designed to expand incomes, resilience and opportunity for India's rural economies.
Aligned with India’s Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, the new strategy focuses on two priorities:
🔹strengthening the social, economic and climate resilience of rural people
🔹scaling proven rural development models in India and sharing them across the Global South
The India-IFAD partnership is built on results:
In #Maharashtra, nearly 1 million women have built financial track records through self-help group federations, unlocking essential bank lending and achieving repayment rates close to 99%.
In #Meghalaya, investments in cold storage, farm equipment and logistics are helping producers reach markets as far as Dubai.
In #Uttarakhand, women-led producer enterprises are turning locally sourced natural products into nationally branded goods sold on e-commerce platforms.
“India-IFAD partnership is distinguished by not only its longevity, but its strategic alignment. IFAD’s programmes in India have remained closely integrated with national priorities – supporting agricultural transformation, livelihood diversification, women’s empowerment, and institutional strengthening,” said Anuradha Thakur, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. “Over time, the focus has evolved from basic poverty alleviation to building sustainable, market-oriented rural livelihoods that are resilient to climate and economic shocks.”
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@finminindia
“The days of paternalism are gone”.
Hunger driven by conflict. Short‑term fixes that don’t last. A system that hasn’t always listened.
From maximising smart investment to country leadership, this is how partnership-led approaches to development deliver lasting change.
Full conversation on FCDO YouTube - link in bio.
@sabrinaelba@ifad_org
Investing in Africa’s young farmers is the answer to the coming food shock, says Kenyan President @williamsamoeiruto in an op-ed for @cnbcafrica
Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have far-reaching consequences, affecting nearly one-third of globally traded fertilizer. The most significant agricultural impacts are expected in the second half of this year, a critical period when farmers across Africa will make planting decisions for the coming season.
"The most resilient answer to a fertilizer shock is not a fertilizer shipment. It is a productive rural economy that no longer relies on imported inputs as the only path to a harvest," said Ruto.
This week, the #AfricaForward Summit is convening African Heads of State, business leaders, young people and civil society to advance solutions to food security, economic competitiveness and shared challenges.
The timing is significant: IFAD's Member States have just launched the #IFAD14 replenishment, "one of the most consequential global decisions of the year on financing rural transformation," according to Ruto.
"African leaders have an opportunity to come together to collectively commit to invest in our rural areas, and the young people who live there, at the scale and ambition this moment demands," added Ruto.
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#IFADImpact #FinancingTheFirstMile | @state.house.kenya
Africa is home to the world’s youngest population, with over 60% under the age of 25. With 1.2 billion young people set to enter the job market over the next decade, investing in rural transformation is an increasingly important macroeconomic strategy to promote growth and resilience.
That is why nearly 60% of IFAD’s core resources are directed to Africa. Through #IFAD14, IFAD will scale up investments in market integration, rural employment and resilient food systems over the next three years.
At the #AfricaForward Summit, IFAD is highlighting the importance of financing beyond production – supporting value addition, stronger market connections and economic opportunities across Africa’s rural economies.
#IFADImpact #FinancingTheFirstMile
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 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.
At the #AfricaForward Summit, IFAD continues to advance partnerships that mobilize investment for resilient, market-oriented rural transformation across Africa and beyond.
#IFADImpact #IFAD14 | @francediplo | @francediplo_en | @Economie_Gouv | @rwandaagri | @Eleonore_Caroit
Africa has enormous potential not only to produce food, but also to process, transform and add greater value across the continent.
Unlocking that opportunity requires greater investment, stronger partnerships and financing that reaches the first mile, where the impact on incomes, employment and resilience is greatest.
At the #AfricaForward Summit in Nairobi, IFAD President Alvaro Lario met with Heads of State, private sector leaders and partners from across Africa and globally to discuss how investment in rural economies can drive jobs, growth and economic transformation.
As an #IFI, IFAD is working as a co-investment platform with governments, development banks and private sector partners to help mobilize capital, crowd in investment and support country-led transformation across Africa’s rural economies.
#FinancingTheFirstMile #AfricaForward #IFAD14
At the #AfricaForward Summit, IFAD is advancing investments in the continent's rural economies, placing them at the centre of national economic strategies and growth.
With nearly 60% of its investment portfolio in #Africa, IFAD finances the first mile of the continent’s food systems, thereby strengthening stability, resilience and prosperity.
Africa’s rural areas present significant investment opportunities for donors and national governments alike. For example, IFAD's collaboration with #France through @afd_france , recently deepened with a new financing agreement, also sees both institutions co-leading the Agri-PDB Platform, a coalition of 142 public development banks facilitating rural investment across Africa and beyond.
Furthermore, Africa’s young population is crucial for both the continent's economic performance and food-system transformation. With over 60% of the population being under 25, IFAD creates investable pathways that connect young people to skills, markets, finance and jobs.
One such programme is the Agribusiness Hubs, launched by IFAD in 2019 with the support of @bmz_bund and the @visa Foundation. The programme links specialised business incubators with local companies, thereby expanding access to employment, training and resources.
In #Kenya, for example, the hubs have partnered with businesses including agricultural advisory service Inuka Solutions and AI tech company Lish AI, supporting youth employment outcomes and exceeding programme targets by 141%.
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#IFADImpact #FinancingTheFirstMile #IFAD14
@francediplo@francediplo_en@gouvernementfr@state.house.kenya@foreignofficekenya
From the first mile to the final consumer, IFAD invests in every step of the value chain – from inputs and production to processing, transport and markets.
By #FinancingTheFirstMile, IFAD invests in better tools, stronger farmer organizations, improved market access and value addition, so farmers can reduce post-harvest losses, reach buyers and increase their incomes.
Stronger value chains mean more resilient global food systems.
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#IFADImpact | #AfricaForward
What does rural transformation look like when investments are designed as integrated systems rather than standalone interventions?
Across #India, IFAD-financed programmes are connecting infrastructure, markets, technology, finance and community institutions to create more resilient rural economies.
From women’s self-help groups in Maharashtra unlocking nearly US$700 million in bank lending, to pineapple farmers in Meghalaya expanding sales through improved logistics and cold storage, these investments are helping small-scale producers move beyond subsistence and participate more competitively in value chains.
In Uttarakhand, a once-neglected wild fig species is now processed, branded and sold online across India – demonstrating how value addition and market access can transform local products into economic opportunities.
Across 35 projects, US$1.36 billion in IFAD financing has mobilized more than twice as much from partners, contributing to total investments of US$4.2 billion in India’s rural economies.
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#FinancingTheFirstMile #IFADImpact
IFAD and the Government of #BurkinaFaso have signed a US$59.75M concessional loan to co-finance ORIAM-SA, a six-year programme to unlock the full potential of one of West Africa's most agriculture-dependent economies.
With over 80% of the population engaged in agriculture, Burkina Faso has significant productive capacity. ORIAM-SA is designed to translate that into economic returns: stronger value chain integration, improved market competitiveness, and greater fiscal resilience against climate and commodity shocks.
The programme deploys blended sovereign financing across three high-potential regions to build climate-resilient infrastructure, integrate key value chains (rice, cassava, maize, vegetables, poultry and pork) and crowd in private sector partnerships.
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#FinancingTheFirstMile #IFADImpact
IFAD just launched a new call for proposals to unlock the potential of remittances for rural development in #Senegal.
Under the Diaspora RemitInvest programme, funded by @italymfa through @aics_cooperazione_it , the initiative aims to channel remittances from the Senegalese diaspora in Italy to rural transformation, job creation and financial inclusion.
With remittance inflows to Senegal exceeding US$3 billion annually, and around EUR 310 million coming from Italy alone, remittances in Senegal represent a significant opportunity to invest in underserved rural areas.
The call is open to financial institutions, fintech companies, investment funds, SMEs and NGOs to develop and scale innovative solutions to channel these flows into sustainable economic opportunities.
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#FamilyRemittances
In #Kenya, a recently concluded programme, financed by IFAD and the europeancommission, is enabling the New Mbeere Cooperative to move beyond production into processing, value addition and structured markets.
With a maize milling plant and stronger organizational capacity, the cooperative is improving product quality, reducing losses and reaching new buyers.
Through a joint initiative with @fao , the @worldfoodprogramme and private sector partners, the cooperative now supplies locally produced food to school feeding programmes, creating stable demand and more predictable incomes for its members.
Watch to learn more.
#FinancingTheFirstMile #IFADImpact #EU
