ISLAMABAD: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will begin this year a new five-year programme in Pakistan to target 1.5 million poor rural households representing 10 million people comprising households living in chronic poverty and small-scale farmers. The goal of the new programme is to reduce poverty in people living in rural areas and enhance food security.

The Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) covering the 2023-2027 period with projects worth $231 million in commitment and co-financing has now been placed before the IFAD executive board for final approval, according to the document available to Dawn.

The COSOP sets out IFAD’s strategy to support the government in transforming smallholder agriculture and eradicating rural poverty within a systematic framework to build climate resilience, adaptation, mitigation and response.

The overall goal of the new programme is to contribute to inclusive and accelerated rural poverty reduction and enhanced food security in a gender, youth, nutrition and climate change sensitive manner.

Besides focusing on small farmers and rural people living in extreme poverty, the new programme in Pakistan will cover mainstream themes of women, youth, nutrition, climate change, persons with disabilities and indigenous people.

Strong emphasis will be placed on developing partnerships and building synergies with relevant bilateral and multilateral development partners, and the private sector in particular for agribusiness development, to promote investments in rural people.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.