Agroforestry – the integration of trees with crops and livestock – is increasingly recognized as a transformative approach to sustainable rural development. It has the potential to reduce poverty, enhance climate resilience, and restore biodiversity. While agroforestry is widely implemented across IFAD’s investments, its broader adoption faces challenges. However, emerging opportunities in finance, technology, and policy innovation are creating pathways to scale and accelerate its impact.
In this context, IFAD and FAO have collaborated on a new publication, which you can explore here. The report provides a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of IFAD’s engagement in agroforestry. It highlights significant benefits for smallholder farmers, including increased profitability, diversified food production, and strengthened climate resilience. At the same time, it identifies persistent challenges, such as limited incentives and insufficient technical and policy support, while proposing actionable strategies to address these barriers.
To launch this exciting publication, IFAD and PMI are hosting a webinar, as part of the Biodiversity in Practice series. It will feature a presentation by the authors on the report’s key findings, followed by a dynamic panel discussion with IFAD-funded project teams, along with experts from CIFOR-ICRAF and the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation (KENAFF). The panel will delve into the report’s insights, share field experiences, and discuss strategies to better promote agroforestry in IFAD operations and rural development projects globally.
