FAO, IsDB, and IFAD Collaborate to Strengthen Food Security Technologies for Smallholder Farmers

في يوم 18 سبتمبر، 2023 | بتوقيت 8:49 م

16 December 2021, Rome, Italy. Muhammed , 27, from Pakistan, picks up Nasturtium leaves cultivated with the aquaponics system at vertical farm of the The Circle company. The Circle is a company that uses the system of aquaponics for the production of vegetables. Without generating polluting waste, The Circle is able to valorize every waste by reintroducing it into the production cycle. The fish waste is filtered in tanks with bacteria that transform the waste into nutrients for the plants. The water that is not absorbed by the plants is reintroduced into the fish ponds.

كتبت: نجوى طه

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have joined hands on a significant partnership aimed at enhancing global food security and nutrition . This trilateral cooperation agreement focuses on empowering rural smallholder farmers by providing them with accessible, affordable and adaptable technologies crucial for ensuring food security

Dr. Mansur Muhtar, IsDB’s Vice President of Operations, emphasized the significance of this collaboration in addressing the pressing challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition that confront numerous IsDB Member Countries, particularly among small-scale farmers and pastoralist communities. He stated, “Our partnership with FAO and IFAD will play a pivotal role in identifying technologies suitable for integration into IsDB’s Food Security Response Program (FSRP) and other agricultural initiatives.” This alliance is poised to usher in transformative change in agricultural sustainability and food security across diverse regions

“A majority of countries in the Near East and North Africa region projects increasing rates of food insecurity and malnutrition. These challenges are particularly more prevalent amongst small-scale farmers and pastoralist communities. The new tripartite cooperation between FAO, IsDB and IFAD will facilitate identification of technologies that have the potential for mainstreaming throughout the crop value chain to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers and food security among the entire populations,” said AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa (NENA).

This cooperation is important to FAO, as it is a first building block in the partnership between FAO and IsDB since the signing of an MoU in 2020.” Elwaer added.

Technology has enabled small-scale producers to effectively contribute to sustainable agricultural development and food security. Despite the huge efforts to introduce new technologies to support farmers across the value chain, there is still an urgent need to increase capacities and accelerate innovation through partnerships. The current cooperation agreement is a major milestone in our joining forces with other partners to help reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Saudi Vision 2030.” said Thouraya Triki, The Director of Sustainable Production, Markets, and Institutions Division, IFAD.