IFAD chief praises Bangladesh’s achievements

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Alvaro Lario has praised Bangladesh’s remarkable achievements in food production, climate-smart agriculture and inclusion of women and youth in rural enterprises.

IFAD and Bangladesh government are working together for rural prosperity, Lario said during a meeting with Bangladesh‘s Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque at the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ meeting in Hyderabad, India on Saturday.

They also discussed the successes of the 45-year-long partnership between IFAD and the government of Bangladesh including crop diversification, business-oriented agriculture, youth capacity building, and private sector engagement at the meeting.

Lario said, “Although the multiple crises are stalling global progress on eradicating poverty and hunger, we can still achieve our goals.”

“We know what works. Climate-smart technologies, improved resilience, and commercially viable nature-based solutions are proven ways to build equitable, sustainable and inclusive food systems. But in order to realise this potential, we must invest in small-scale producers and boost the role of rural women and youth in value chains,” he added.

The minister said, “Continuous collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and development partners such as IFAD are vital towards creating an inclusive and empowering ecosystem for our farmers to fortify resilience against climate change, foster sustainable food systems, and drive rural development with the ultimate goal of promoting rural prosperity.”

Three ongoing IFAD-financed projects implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture were also discussed during the meeting. The National Agricultural Technology Programmes-Phase 2 (NATP-II) co-financed by the World Bank, strengthened the research abilities of the ministry and established extension offices at the union parishad level which are critical interventions in the transformation of the extension system in Bangladesh.

The Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (SACP) enabled 2, 50,000 coastal farmers to diversify crops, improve livelihoods, and build climate resilience. The success of this model has opened up opportunities to extend the project’s reach to an additional 4, 20,000 farmers through a $31 million project, including a $20 million grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program.

The Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience (PARTNER), co-financed with the World Bank is a $543 million sectoral transformation project promoting crop diversification, entrepreneurship, and climate resilience across Bangladesh.