Biotech Updates

AfDB and IFAD to Review Agric, Rural Development Operations

January 19, 2007

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will be reviewing this month the partnership’s agricultural and rural development policies and operations in Africa between 1996 and 2005. The two institutions want to identify what existing operations have been effective in fighting rural poverty in Africa, according to IFAD President Lennart Båge. The evaluation will also assess how to improve the contribution of agriculture and rural development to growth and poverty reduction, the sectors’ international competitiveness and policy environment, and investment potential in vital sub-sectors, such as water, rural infrastructure and microfinance.

Readers can access the press release at http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2007/1.htm.