ALGIERS, Algeria, May 20. Efforts to ensure
sustainable development must prioritize rural areas, said Álvaro
Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD), Trend’s special correspondent reports.
Speaking at a panel discussion titled “Towards Resilient
Economies: Diversification Strategies for Sustainable Development
in IsDB Member Countries,” as part of the IsDB Group’s Annual
Meetings in Algiers, Lario noted that security has become one of
the core themes in global development in recent years
“When we talk about food security and food systems, it’s not
only how it’s produced, but also how it’s distributed, marketed,
exported, and the jobs that we can create thereby,” he said.
The IFAD President emphasized the critical role of rural regions
in achieving sustainable progress.
“80 percent of poverty is actually in the rural economies. So
very much, that’s where a lot of the jobs need to be created, and a
lot of the efforts for sustainable development need to happen,” he
added.
Lario also highlighted the connection between economic
diversification and climate resilience.
“Diversification and economic resilience need to happen
nowadays, also with climate resilience. And for that, in our case,
we’re investing for every dollar, 45 cents is going into climate
adaptation. Many of the small-scale farmers need the support and
the investments in many of these areas,” the official said.
He outlined programs underway in the Sahel and in other
countries, whereby the national public development banks and
partners of the private financial institutions provide 0 percent
loans for these climate adaptation activities. And this is already
impacting 2.5 million people, for example, in Burkina Faso, Côte
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, or Senegal.
Lario stressed the importance of a new approach to project
implementation in fragile environments.
“One quarter of our co-financing with ISDB is traditioned in
this type of fragile setting. And this is bridging, as it has been
said, the humanitarian relief with the long-term development. It’s
restoring livelihoods, empowering women and youth, and also laying
the groundwork for future economic recovery.
Let me finalize by saying that for us, rural transformation is
not just something isolated. It’s a cornerstone of economic
diversification, social inclusion, and climate resilience,”
concluded the IFAD President.
The official also underscored the active role of governments,
the private sector, and civil society in driving these efforts and
expressing hope for expanded investment in the sector.
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