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IFAD president Nwanze to discuss rural transformation on tour of India
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Monday, 04 August, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d Kanayo F Nwanze, president, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), would arrive in India on August 4, 2014, for a five-day official visit, during which he would meet finance minister Arun Jaitley and rural development minister Nitin Gadkari to discuss how rural transformation and gender empowerment are vital to sustainably reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
His visit to India comes on the heels of member states forwarding to the United Nations General Assembly a set of proposed goals that consider the economic, social and environmental elements necessary to improve people’s lives and protect the planet for future generations.
The goals include promoting sustainable agriculture, women’s empowerment and the management of natural resources. In addition, the proposed goals outline advancing decent work for all and a pledge to reduce inequality within and among countries.
“One of the causes of poverty is inequality, both between the rural and urban areas, and between women and men,” Nwanze stated, before arriving in India.
“If we are to eradicate hunger and poverty, we need to level the playing field by empowering poor rural people to take charge of their own development and create policy environments that increase investment in them,” he added.
With an annual population growth rate of 1.3 per cent, India is projected to become the most populous country in the world by 2035. Since more than half of India’s population is under the age of 25 and many are looking for work, it would be critical to transform rural areas into vibrant places that give young women and men opportunities.
“The youth and women of India are some of its greatest assets,” Nwanze said. He added, “If we invest in them, they would get the job done.”
IFAD has been working in India for over 30 years, and has financed 26 projects for a total value of $2.48 billion, of which IFAD has contributed $877.3 million, directly benefiting 4.3 million households.
In rural India, agriculture and related sectors employ more than 90 per cent of the total female labour force. Working with the government of India, IFAD aims to improve the lives of women. As a result of IFAD-supported work in the country more than 116,000 self-help groups with 1.5 million members have been formed. These women’s groups have proven to be an effective way to reduce gender-based violence, change social attitudes and enable women to start up small businesses.
While in the country, Nwanze would be speaking about the changing role of women in the economic transformation of family farming at a regional conference organised by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. The event would be open to the media.
On his final day in the country (August 9), Nwanze will visit the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), headquartered in Hyderabad, which conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
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