ABSTRACT
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) provides financing primarily for projects designed to improve food production systems and strengthen market access in developing member states, and to strengthen related policies, services and institutions. In allocating resources IFAD is guided by the need to increase food production in the poorest food-deficit countries; the potential for increasing food production in other developing countries; and the importance of ensuring the nutrition, health and education of the poorest, most marginalized people in developing countries. IFAD hosts the secretariat of the international land coalition, a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organizations that aim to respond to the needs and rights of communities living on and from the land. IFAD recognizes that, traditionally, rural women have had limited access to credit, land, information and technologies, and focuses on areas that can empower women economically and socially.
