For small-scale farmers, the climate nightmare is real, and they are severely underfunded. They urgently need support to adapt to a changing world. Here are three calls to action from IFAD. 

An International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) nutrition expert talks about the challenge of obesity; a Technical Specialist on Nutrition discusses how food inflation impacts diets. Lastly, we chat with IFAD’s Director for Food Systems Coordination Nadine Gbossa to discuss the nutritional challenges of Guyana’s indigenous communities. 

Despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions, Africa is the most vulnerable continent to the impacts of climate change. In fact, 7 of the 10 countries that are most at risk are in Africa. Small-scale farmers in Africa are on the frontlines. They are battling climate change impacts every day, while feeding their communities and driving rural economies. They need the world to invest in them so that they can continue driving their own sustainable development, even in the face of climate change.

For its part, IFAD is mobilizing climate finance from a variety of sources, including the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility and its flagship ASAP programme. IFAD promotes climate-smart agricultural practices, such as the community-led nature-based solutions and climate-tolerant crop varieties.

One in nine people globally experienced hunger in 2022. Rural people and vulnerable groups, including women, suffer greater food insecurity—and even those who can access food may not be able to access nutritious food, IFAD's data confirms. We must strengthen climate resilience across food systems and invest in small-scale farmers so they can continue to feed themselves, nearby urban centres and beyond if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. IFAD supports small-scale producers and partners with farmers’ organizations to promote collective action and economies of scale.

The world is at a crossroad, does it reposnd to crisis after crisis or invest in a structural change for a stronger, more sustainable future? Global crises have exposed how inadequate our resources are to prevent future emergencies. With 4 in 5 of the world’s poorest people living in rural areas, the road to a resilient future runs through rural communities. IFAD is investing in rural people for a sustainable future. By making the right choices and the right investments now, a new day—and a better future—is possible.

“Making the most of remittances and diaspora investments can, paradoxically, curb the need for more to migrate. These flows are great contributors to the wellbeing of millions,” said Álvaro Lario, the President the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at the opening session of the Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development (GFRID) in Nairobi.

Syrians are laying down roots in their places of refuge and have valuable skills and knowledge that they can use in their host communities. IFAD grants are helping refugees fulfil their potential.

Small-scale farmers in developing countries are only one flood, one drought or one failed harvest away from ruin. IFAD asks "Tomorrow is a new day. What will it look like?" 

Bees and other pollinators are the tiny linchpins of diverse food systems – some bees also make honey. That's why many rural people around the world have taken up beekeeping, with IFAD’s help.

From deforestation to the destruction of coral reefs, ecosystems across the globe are being decimated. The world’s most vulnerable populations are the ones paying the highest price, with rural people experiencing the effects on their livelihoods, their food security and their ways of life. Through IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility and PROGRES, farmers have access to irrigation and seeds suitable to the region’s semi-arid conditions. By planting various types of trees, such as Pistachio, which have a strong root system, the soil is not swept away by rain, in turn conserving arid ecosystem and avoiding degradation

For over 40 years, IFAD has been working with rural people, helping them eradicate poverty, conserve their environments and build flourishing societies—all the while feeding the world.

Climate change, environmental degradation and a growing population are exacerbating water scarcity. As the water cycle is disrupted, farmers are having to adapt and come up with inventive ways to harvest, store and use water. This helps them protect their crops and irrigate them when water is scarce. In fact, in Uganda, Burundi, India and Tanzania, water harvesting can increase crop production by 60 to 100 per cent. With 13 per cent of our work devoted to water, IFAD is helping smallholder farmers through simple but effective and climate-smart water infrastructure.

There are almost as many smartphones on the planet as there are people. From messaging, to maps, to mobile payments, it's almost impossible to imagine a world without internet or devices. Yet, for many women in developing countries, this is their reality. Here, men are twice as likely to use the internet than women. To empower rural women, and help them contribute to economic growth, access to the internet and digital platforms is vital. IFAD trains women in digital finance and marketing, and ensures they have access to the technology they need to connect to the rest of the world. Find out more in this story about taking tomato-growing to new heights in Pakistan, and texting for tulips in Bangladesh.

Despite the colossal damages to its agriculture caused by the war, the country is still committed to contribute to world food security and to empower small scale farmers.

As climate change affects the distribution and availability of food, edible insects are a potential growth area, particularly as consumer demand rises. Insects are an essential food source for at least 2 billion people and given the low input costs and space required, even the poorest people in developing countries can collect, rear, process, sell, and eat insects. IFAD and the United States have partnered to help small-scale farmers in developing countries further reduce emissions while adapting to climate change.