Rwanda President Paul Kagame has been invited to attend the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) governing council sitting in Rome from February 22-23, 2012.
Kagame will attend the 35th session of the governing council and is scheduled to hold a joint press conference tomorrow with the IFAD president that will explore the urgent need to enhance smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change.
The 35th session of governing council of IFAD is expected to attract world leaders, international personalities, policymakers, academics and most importantly, farmer representatives.
According to the press release on the IFAD official website, President Kagame leads the seven-man keynote speakers that also includes Bill Gates co-chair Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Others include Andrea Riccardi the Italian minister for International Cooperation and Integration Policies, Joseph Boakai, Liberian Vice President and Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.
President Kagame’s address will explore how climate-smart agriculture can feed a growing world population.
While Bill Gates will share his perspective on the importance of agriculture and how sustainable productivity improvements can reduce poverty in developing countries.
He will challenge both global players and national governments to adopt a new approach to supporting smallholder farmers.
Joseph Boakai,the Liberian Vice President will call for strengthening investments in agricultural research and enhancing innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture while Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina, Nigerian Minister of Agriculture will talk about the challenges ahead and how to create a supportive environment to unleash the potential of smallholder farmers.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives.
Since 1978, IFAD has invested about US$13.7 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 405 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities.
IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome the United Nation’s food and agricultural hub.
It is a unique partnership of 167 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
ENDS
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