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IDRC and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have joined forces to explore how information technologies can boost food production and rural business opportunities in developing countries.

IDRC President David M. Malone (left) and IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze at the launch of the joint project. Copyright : IDRC Photo: Tecklesphoto.com 2009 The three-year project, KariaNet II, builds on earlier work supported by both organizations that established knowledge-sharing networks among researchers working on rural poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. This second phase will investigate how these networks can bolster food security activities in the region. “Agriculture remains a challenge in developing countries,” said IDRC President David M. Malone at the project launch on October 26 at IDRC. “We’re very grateful for this partnership.” IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze praised IDRC and Canada’s continued leadership on the issue of food security, noting that “Canada is setting the stage for the other G8 and G20 countries.” IFAD, a United Nations agency, was created in response to the food crises of the early 1970s that hit North Africa the hardest. It aims to help poor people overcome poverty, focusing on country-specific solutions, such as increasing access to financial services, markets, technology, land, and other resources. For more than a decade, IFAD has collaborated with IDRC on research on many topics, such as water management and medicinal plants.

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• Link to Article
• Link to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) website