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STORY: IFAD / RURAL AREAS INVESTMENT
TRT: 05:57
SOURCE: IFAD
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / PORTUGUESE / NATS
DATELINE: 12 FEBRUARY 2025, ROME, ITALY
1. Wide shot, exterior of IFAD building
2. Medium shot, UN Flags outside of IFAD
3. Close up shot, IFAD logo
4. Wide shot, President Alvaro Lario and King Letsie III of Lesotho entering the Governing Council plenary
5. Wide shot, President of Sierra Leone and IFAD President photo call, UN and Sierra Leone flag
6. Wide shot, the Governing Council plenary room
7. Wide shot, First Lady of Brazil talking at the podium on the stage of the GC
8. Wide shot, President Alvaro Lario entering the plenary room
9. Wide shot, the stage while Alvaro Lario addressing the plenary
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD:
“At core of our business model, is the recognition no matter how small these farms are, it is important that we keep and think of them as business owners and that they are part of a local and part of a global economy. As well as the core part of when we talk about private sector and value chains, they are at the centre of many of these investments. As a business, they need what every other business needs, they need better technology, working capital and access to markets- being able to sell their goods at that price they can still live on.”
11. Wide shot, President of Sierra Leone talking addressing the Plenary
12. Wide shot, delegates and general public taking notes and paying attention
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Julius Maada Wone Bio, President of Sierra Leone:
“The first mile represents the heart of our rural economies. Smallholder farmers, fisher folks and rural entrepreneurs: these individuals remain the bedrocks of food systems and economies despite limited resources and structural challenges. The theme also captures the essence of what we strive for: creating meaningful and lasting change at the very foundation of our food systems. For more than 40 years, IFAD’s locally led model has helped rural communities to take control of their futures.”
14. Wide shot, screens of the Plenary Room
15. Wide shot, King of Lesotho Letsie III getting ready to go on the stage
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Letsie III, King of Lesotho:
“Even though our country has enjoyed some moderate economic growth in recent years. We are still struggling to address food insecurity, poverty and malnutrition. Lesotho’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, which is the main source of income for a majority of the rural population. The nations agri-food systems are now heavily affected by climate change. Prolonged droughts which are often accompanied by unusually high temperatures and flash floods are compromising the availability accessibility and affordability and consumption of diverse and nutritious diets.”
17. Wide shot, minister Giorgetti talking on the podium
18. Wide shot, Giorgetti talking to the public
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italian Economy minister:
“Our aim is to foster economic and social developments at local level based on a partnership among equals. This is the background for our new strong support of IFAD, as a solid and credible partner. We recognize its merit as a unique organization in the development landscape with its focus on the first mile, where a real difference can be made, and with its mission to invest in the most vulnerable rural communities.”
20. Wide shot, plenary public listening
21. Wide shot, the Brazilian First Lady addressing the plenary
22. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Mariangela da Silva, Brazilian First Lady:
“We need a more urgent measures, we need coordinated and concrete efforts with multidisciplinary approach which considers the diversity and complexity of these issues. With government, IFI’s and knowledge hubs, organizations of civil society, we need to work in partnership to multiply the impact of resources that dwindle every day.”
23. Medium shot, Brazilian Minister of social development Wellington Dias listening
24. Close up shot, Brazilian Minister of social development Wellington Dias listening
25. Wide shot, First Lady of Brazil talking on the stage
26. Wide shot, exterior of IFAD building
The King of Lesotho, Letsie III, and the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio joined the President of IFAD, Alvaro Lario, Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, and Brazil’s First Lady, Janja Lula da Silva, at the inaugural session of IFAD’s 48th Governing Council meeting in Rome to enforce their commitment to IFAD and it’s work in catalysing investment at the first mile.
IFAD President, Alvaro Lario, referred to IFAD as being uniquely placed at this critical moment in history to galvanize investment in agriculture and rural development and that we need to change how we consider small-scale rural producers, seeing them as entrepreneurs in need of access to loans and investment.
Alvaro Lario said, “At core of our business model, is the recognition no matter how small these farms are, it is important that we keep and think of them as business owners and that they are part of a local and part of a global economy. As well as the core part of when we talk about private sector and value chains, they are at the centre of many of these investments. As a business, they need what every other business needs, they need better technology, working capital and access to markets- being able to sell their goods at that price they can still live on.”
The President of Sierra Leone agreed that it was important to target and invest in smallholder producers to improve food systems. President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio said, “The first mile represents the heart of our rural economies. Smallholder farmers, fisher folks and rural entrepreneurs: these individuals remain the bedrocks of food systems and economies despite limited resources and structural challenges. The theme also captures the essence of what we strive for: creating meaningful and lasting change at the very foundation of our food systems. For more than 40 years, IFAD’s locally led model has helped rural communities to take control of their futures.”
One of the topics under discussion at the meeting today (Feb 12) was the need to improve nutrition. The King of Lesotho highlighted the very high social and economic costs of all forms of malnutrition on developing and developed countries where 22 percent of the world’s children are stunted and reaffirmed his commitment to championing nutrition initiatives.
The King of Lesotho Letsie III said, “Even though our country has enjoyed some moderate economic growth in recent years. We are still struggling to address food insecurity, poverty and malnutrition. Lesotho’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, which is the main source of income for a majority of the rural population.”
He added, “the nations agri-food systems are now heavily affected by climate change. Prolonged droughts which are often accompanied by unusually high temperatures and flash floods are compromising the availability accessibility and affordability and consumption of diverse and nutritious diets.”
Italy, the host country for IFAD and other Rome-based agencies in the United Nation’s Food Hub, renewed their commitment to the agency and its mandate.
Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister for Economy and Finance of the Italian Republic said, “Our aim is to foster economic and social developments at local level based on a partnership among equals. This is the background for our new strong support of IFAD, as a solid and credible partner. We recognize its merit as a unique organization in the development landscape with its focus on the first mile, where a real difference can be made, and with its mission to invest in the most vulnerable rural communities.”
Also under discussion today was the Global Alliance for Hunger which was launched under the leadership of Brazil last November.
The First Lady of Brazil said the Alliance can galvanize efforts to meet the 2030 SDG goals on hunger and poverty. “We need a more urgent measures, we need coordinated and concrete efforts with multidisciplinary approach which considers the diversity and complexity of these issues. With government, IFI’s and knowledge hubs, organizations of civil society, we need to work in partnership to multiply the impact of resources that dwindle every day,” she said.
The annual Governing Council meeting continues tomorrow (Feb 13) with a variety of sessions including a report back on the Indigenous People’s Forum and IFAD’s partnership work with South-South Triangular Cooperation.
Nearly half of the world’s 8.2 billion people live in the rural areas of developing countries, where hunger and poverty are entrenched. These regions are home to small-scale farmers who produce 70 percent of the food consumed in low- and middle-income countries. This makes rural areas the ‘first mile’ for reducing poverty and inequality, ensuring stability and feeding the world.
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