In 2026, small-scale farmers have faced a convergence of severe droughts and other climate extremes alongside energy and fertilizer price shocks, threatening harvests and increasing the risks of higher food prices and food insecurity.
 
Strengthening partnerships and scaling al to @IFAD’s efforts to build resilience and accelerate rural transformation. Our new co-financing framework agreement with @WorldBankGroup, IFAD’s largest multilateral development bank partner, builds on longstanding collaboration across financing, policy engagement and global initiatives.
 
The agreement will help scale joint investments, combining global financing capacity and reach with IFAD’s expertise at the first mile. It builds on initiatives including #AgriConnect, which aims to help transform agriculture for 300 million smallholder farmers by 2030, and #WaterForward, which seeks to improve water security for up to 1 billion people by 2030.
 
As we approach #COP31, we must recognize adaptation as an investment, not a cost.

With developing countries needing an estimated US$305 billion annually for adaptation by 2035, stronger partnerships and mobilizing public and private capital are essential to building resilience at the first mile, before shocks strike.
 
To learn more about the co-financing agreement: ifad.org/en/w/news/worl…
 
#FinancingTheFirstMile | #COP31Türkiye | #COP31Antalya | @turkiyecop31

When we talk about agricultural finance, the focus is often on large agribusinesses and commodity exports. But how do we ensure small-scale producers can participate in these markets and benefit from the opportunities they create?

At the @FT Africa Summit, I highlighted why nd production. Cold storage, access to markets, and stronger producer organizations and cooperatives are essential to helping producers aggregate their products, connect with buyers and access working capital.

This is where @IFAD plays a critical role, investing in remote rural areas where economic opportunities and access to finance are often limited. The challenge is not simply to attract more capital, but to create the conditions for investment to reach the first mile, connecting small-scale producers to larger markets and enabling them to capture more value.

#FinancingTheFirstMile #FTAfrica @ftlive

Rural transformation requires more than financing agricultural production. It requires investment across the value chain, from infrastructure and local processing to access to finance and markets, underpinned by strong partnerships and sustained cooperation. For development he challenge is not only to mobilize more capital, but to deploy it in ways that address investment gaps, crowd in private finance and generate sustainable economic opportunities.

@IFAD's partnership with @isdb_group demonstrates the value of sustained cooperation. Since 1980, our institutions have co-financed investments worth approximately US$1.45 billion. In Indonesia, our joint investments are strengthening agricultural value chains for upland farmers. In Nigeria, we invest together in agro-industrial processing zones to connect small-scale producers with processing facilities, businesses and larger markets.

Building on this experience, I signed a new agreement with Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of the IsDB Group, to mobilize up to US$750 million in co-financing for food systems and rural transformation.

Importantly, the agreement also draws on the wider IsDB Group, including @ICD_PS, @ITFCCORP and @ICIEC_IDB. By bringing together development finance, private-sector investment, trade finance and risk mitigation instruments, we can help overcome financing constraints, strengthen rural enterprises and attract additional investment into underserved markets.

Read the full press release: ifad.org/en/w/news/isdb…

#FinancingTheFirstMile

In India, turning spices into higher-value products creates new opportunities for rural communities.

With targeted investment in processing, partnerships and market access, an IFAD-funded project supported the establishment of the Bhoirymbong spice processing facility, the ic spice processing unit in Northeast India.

The facility works with 5,500 farmers and can process 10,000 metric tonnes of spices annually, helping rural producers capture more value from their harvests and reach new markets.

Read more about India’s rural transformation at ifad.org/en/w/news/indi…

#FinancingTheFirstMile

Today at the @FT Africa Summit in London, I made the case for investing in Africa's rural economies in a conversation with @Sabrinadhowre, IFAD Goodwill Ambassador, moderated by Andrew Hill. Farmers and rural entrepreneurs are building businesses that drive productivity, create d supply chains. Access to long-term capital is essential to realizing that potential.

Africa's small and medium-sized agribusinesses face a financing gap of around US$65 billion a year. As an international financial institution, @IFAD works with governments to strengthen the infrastructure, institutions and markets that make rural investment viable. We also use concessional finance to share risks and mobilize capital for businesses and producers underserved by commercial lenders.

These priorities also guided my bilateral discussions with UK
Development Minister @kirstyjmcneill and @NickDyerFCDO of @FCDOGovUK. We discussed how to advance shared objectives on food security, rural jobs and private investment, alongside cooperation through the #G20 and #G7 agendas to address the debt crisis and reform MDBs so they can deliver more financing but also achieve more depth and impact with coordinated action. IFAD can support the creation of the conditions that will make investments more impactful in rural areas.

The economic benefits of investing in the first mile extend beyond the farm. Investment in processing, storage and distribution helps businesses reduce losses, reach buyers and retain more value locally. It creates jobs and strengthens the supply chains on which domestic and international markets depend.

African leaders ambition to drive rural economic growth becomes visible in their strong commitment and pledges to
#IFAD14. Their contributions strengthen IFAD's capital base, enabling us to borrow and mobilize additional to invest in long-term growth, food security and economic stability.

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #FTAfrica | @ftlive

Pleased to welcome @WFOPresident to IFAD Headquarters in Rome and congratulate him on his election as President of the @worldfarmersorg. Our conversation focused the importance of creating opportunities for young people, promote rural farmer enterprise development, and rs.

We agreed on one key message: Farmers should be looked at as economic actors.
@IFAD is strongly commitment to the Farmers' Forum, which brings farmers' organisations, IFAD and governments together around priorities identified by farmers themselves. In practice, this means consulting and involving farmers' organisations in shaping our investments together with the national government.

This involvement of farmers' organisations matters. For example, in Senegal, a national farmers' organisation strengthened community ownership by requiring project participants to secure endorsement from family farm heads and local farmers' organisations. These experiences underline the importance of farmers shaping the investments that affect their livelihoods.

Our shared focus is on working with small-scale producers to access finance, reach markets and manage climate risks, while ensuring their experience informs decisions in global forums.

#FinancingTheFirstMile

Hunger has declined for a third consecutive year, but around 645 million people still face hunger and nearly 2.7 billion cannot afford a healthy diet. Progress is possible, but it remains uneven. At the opening of #CFS54, I highlighted the need to connect policy more closely with althy diets affordable requires investment across the food system, from production and storage to processing, transport and markets. Small-scale producers need those systems to work so they can earn a better living and supply nutritious food reliably.

The Committee on World Food Security brings together governments, scientific evidence and the experience of communities to guide these decisions. @IFAD helps translate that guidance into investments shaped by countries’ priorities.

Through #IFAD14, we will focus on stronger markets, more rural jobs and greater resilience. Connecting farmers to buyers, reducing food losses and helping rural businesses grow are practical ways to improve both incomes and food affordability.

Our shared task is to ensure that global policy leads to better investment decisions and that those investments make healthy diets more affordable and rural livelihoods more secure.

#FinancingTheFirstMile

We can achieve more for rural communities when we design and invest together. That means bringing their needs into our joint investments from the outset, and connecting rural businesses and markets to larger infrastructure and financing.

As I conclude my participation in the al Meetings in Bangkok, this is the opportunity ahead of us. Our new co-financing agreements with @WorldBankGroup and @isdb_group will help us combine our resources and expertise at the first mile. We are also strengthening cooperation through #AgriConnect and #WaterForward, while working with private investors to expand opportunities for rural agribusinesses.

@IFAD brings almost 50 years of experience working with governments and rural communities to develop markets and bankable investments. That experience is essential to ensuring larger financing initiatives reach small-scale producers and rural entrepreneurs.

On #WorldFoodDay, the purpose of this cooperation is clear. More jobs, greater food security and more resilient rural economies.

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGMeetings

Investing in rural economies strengthens food security, creates jobs and sustains trade, especially as climate shocks and instability put these foundations under pressure.

Today, I met Canada’s Secretary of State for International Development, @randeepssarai. Canada’s CAD263 commitment through @IFAD supports three investments alongside US$403 million in partner financing, helping rural communities access investment and markets while managing climate risks.

With the Netherlands’ Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, @ministerBHOS, I discussed how rural investment supports prosperity and stability, including in fragile contexts. Dutch partnerships are strengthening Nepal’s ginger value chain through work with SNV and a Dutch company, while our cooperation with Rabo Partnerships supports national development banks.

At @WorldBankGroup #AgriConnect roundtable, “Feeding Asia: The Next Trillion-Dollar Investment Opportunity”, we explored how to translate rural business opportunities into investment. There are ongoing discussions to mobilize US$30 million through IFAD operations in Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka.

Rural investment belongs at the centre of the global financing agenda. Stronger economies, reliable food supplies and lasting stability depend on backing the people and businesses at the first mile with the capital to deliver.

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGMeetings | @CanadaDev | @MinBZ

US$1.25 billion in co-financing. More than 122 projects. A shared commitment to global food security.

Strengthening food security and building resilience were at the heart of discussions between our President Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa and @IFADPresident Dr. Alvaro Lario, as they ies to deepen cooperation.

Our partnership with @IFAD dates back to 1999 and continues to evolve in response to development challenges. Beyond our longstanding co-financing cooperation, IFAD is also a partner in the broader Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact, which aims to help vulnerable countries access development financing and strengthen their resilience to economic and climate shocks.

Today, I held a series of bilateral discussions with Member States and development finance institutions, focused on deepening cooperation, expanding investment opportunities and translating shared priorities into concrete results for rural communities.

I met with Jeremy Wiggins of the Treasury, Nguyen Quoc Phuong, Director General at Viet Nams Ministry of Finance and Liao Min, China's Vice Minister of Finance. These discussions are important to deepening our engagement with Member States and identifying opportunities for stronger collaboration.

I also met Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, President of @TheOPECFund , and Michael Jongeneel, CEO of @FMO_development, to explore closer cooperation on development finance, private-sector investment and market creation, particularly in fragile contexts.

A key milestone was signing a new cooperation and co-financing agreement with @isdb_group, alongside its President, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser. This provides an important foundation for expanding joint investments, strengthening institutional cooperation and bringing our complementary expertise together.

I also welcomed partners from the @arabcoordgroup for an exchange on how we can strengthen coordination, identify shared priorities and deliver greater collective impact.

By working more closely across governments, international financial institutions and development banks, we can turn shared priorities into coordinated action and greater impact for rural communities on the ground.

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGMeetings | @IFAD

This morning, I hosted an #IFAD14 Asia and the Pacific Ministerial Roundtable, together with the Government of the Philippines on the margins of the @WorldBankGroup and @IMFNews Annual Meetings in Bangkok.

I was pleased to welcome Ministers and representatives from Bangladesh, , Samoa, Solomon Islands and Kiribati among others. The strong participation of Pacific Island countries was particularly important, highlighting the need for greater investment in resilient rural economies.

The challenges are significant. Some countries in the region import over 85% of their fertilizer, while most Pacific small island developing states depend on imports for more than 60% of their food. Global supply chain disruptions and rising costs directly affect farmers, rural businesses and food security.

Yet the opportunities are equally significant.

Asia and the Pacific is @IFAD's largest regional portfolio, with deep domestic capital markets, dynamic private sectors and innovative financing models.

From mobilizing private co-financing for rural enterprises in Bangladesh to strengthening agricultural value chains in the Philippines, targeted public investment can reduce risks and unlock additional capital.

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGMeetings | @IFADAsia

IFAD and the @isdb_group will mobilize up to US$750 million in co-financing to drive sustainable agricultural development.

Under a newly signed agreement, the two institutions will combine their financing power, specialized expertise, and global reach to scale up investments al economies, eradicate poverty and strengthen food security.

“Through this agreement, we are scaling up investment in the first mile of food systems to create jobs, increase incomes, and build more prosperous and resilient rural economies,” said @IFADPresident Alvaro Lario.

IsDB and IFAD will broaden their cooperation across critical areas, including agribusiness value chains, market access, rural finance and financial inclusion, climate adaptation, sustainable natural resource management and water access.

Read more at ifad.org/en/w/news/isdb…

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGmeetings

Global economic shocks are increasingly interconnected. When conflict, climate events and rising food, energy and fertilizer costs disrupt production at the first mile, the effects are felt across supply chains, markets and economies worldwide.

At the IMF–World Bank Group kok, the signing of a new co-financing agreement with @WorldBankGroup President Ajay Banga marked a significant step forward. It creates opportunities to deepen our operational collaboration, including through #AgriConnect and #WaterForward, and connect larger pools of capital to investments in rural communities.

My discussions with Rashaid Ali Al-Bader, Director General of @KuwaitFund, Herman Saheruddin of Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance, and Samantha Bandara and Kapila Senanayake of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance, focused on strengthening investment in rural economies, creating jobs and building more resilient food systems.

By strengthening partnerships with governments, development banks and the private sector, we can mobilize more capital and take proven investments to greater scale.

@IFAD | #IFAD14 | #FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGMeetings

I leave India with a strong sense of what can be achieved when ambition is matched by investment and a clear focus on people at the first mile. Arriving in Bangkok, I am also reminded that no institution can deliver the scale of change we need alone.

I am now in Bangkok to open fice premises and participate in @WorldBankGroup and @IMFNews Annual Meetings where the focus turns to how we work together to mobilize more capital and make development finance go further, particularly in countries facing conflict, climate shocks and fragility.

As we advance #IFAD14, I see real potential to deepen our partnership with the World Bank, other MDBs and IFIs. IFAD brings five decades of experience and investment in rural communities. By connecting that reach and expertise with larger pools of capital, we can take successful investments to greater scale. The macro and micro must connect.

Ultimately, what matters is not just how much financing we mobilize, but whether it translates into jobs, higher incomes, greater resilience and stronger rural economies.

That is what financing the first mile is about.

#FinancingTheFirstMile | #WBGMeetings

Across my visit to India, I have seen how different parts of a rural economy reinforce each other through @IFAD's Meghalaya Livelihoods and Access to Markets Investment.

At Umwang, the foundation is strong community institutions and shared services through a community-led ollective marketing and affordable farm mechanization for regional crops like pineapple, ginger and bay leaves. .

At Bhoirymbong, it is community-led quality processing, value addition, and market linkages to higher-value regional and international markets.

And here in Jirang, it is diversified, commercially viable agriculture and processing, with a 100-acre model farm bringing together farmers from the community showcasing 18 high-value crops.

Rural transformation does not come from one intervention alone. It comes from connecting institutions, production, processing, finance and markets so that rural businesses can grow and communities can retain more value locally.

That is the model we want to deepen and take to scale.

#FinancingTheFirstMile

For a small-scale producers, access to machinery, finance and markets can make the difference between producing more and actually earning more.

Here in Umwang Village, this community-owned cooperative brings those pieces together under one platform, serving 167 members across s growing pineapple, ginger and bay leaves can access shared machinery, reduce labour costs and market their produce collectively rather than relying on middlemen.

Strong community institutions give smallholders greater bargaining power, better access to services and a clearer path to scale.

This is what @IFAD financing the first mile looks like in practice.

#FinancingTheFirstMile