IFAD: Urgent Investment in Agriculture Needed in the Developing World
February 22, 2008| |
“Urgent investment in agriculture is needed to produce affordable food for rural people in developing countries”, concluded the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) governing council after its annual meeting. The meeting highlighted the importance of investing in agriculture in the face of rising food price and climate change.
Delegates from IFAD’s 164 member nations discussed the measures that should be taken to protect the rural poor from commodity price increase. Reducing transportation costs, creating safety nets for those who buy more food than they produce and boosting productivity through public research and microcredit schemes are among the measures that should be taken. The council also called on the international community to examine setting up a mechanism to regulate and monitor the impact of biofuel policy and usage, amidst concerns that biofuel production threatens food security. Renowned geneticist M.S. Swaminathan commented that “Food security must always be the bottom line.”
IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency. It currently supports more than 200 programs and projects in 84 developing countries.
The press release is available at http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2008/16.htm
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