UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Date: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 13:24:31 -0800 Reply-To: "Arthur R. McGee" Sender: Technology Transfer in International Development SUBJECT: IFAD ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 11:31:53 -0500 From: M.Mino@agora.stm.it

Introduction

The Information and Communications Divison of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) which is a specialized agency of the United Nations, has been following Devmedia since the beginning of December 1993. IFAD has 16 years of experience in the field which we would like to share with you and hope to make new contacts at the same time.

IFAD was established in 1977 following a decision by the 1974 World Food Conference as a UN specialized agency with a single mandate, unique among international financial institutions: to combat hunger and rural poverty in the low-income countries. These are the subsistence farmers, landless poor, artisanal fishermen, small-scale pastoralists and the rural women who form part of these groups. The Fund's projects are designed to increase food production, improve nutrition and alleviate poverty among these sections of the rural population. IFAD has 370 projects in 100 developing countries.

One of the characteristics of IFAD's approach is involving the beneficiaries in the poorest rural community in the planning and implementation of its projects. This participation is encouraged through the implementation of communication strategies, which according to the particularities of the communities encourage the use of different means which includes radio, participatory videos, etc.

The following information will be provided in separate instalments to avoid burdening you with long documents:

COMMUNICATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: In 1993 IFAD conducted a survey to find out how communications are incorporated into its projects, whether they are planned and budgeted in a formal manner and, if so, how they are implemented, and to what extent beneficiaries are brought into this process. A brief description of the results of this survey are included as well as the name of a contact person and additional documentation.

ARE YOU A COMMUNICATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERT WITH FIELD EXPERIENCE? Please contact us. (Contact details will be provided in this message.)

PERU: COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS. A novel IFAD approach to helping the poorest of the poor in rural development is being tried out in some remote villages of the northern and southern sierra of Peru. The approach is to use new "community radio stations" for two hours a day to promote rural development.

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY FOR RURAL WOMEN IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: How can we best promote the interests of poor rural women in Latin America with the help of modern communications techniques? A seminar held in Costa Rica, July 1993 grappled with this subject. The seminar sponsored by IFAD, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), was a lively affair. It brought together experts from the three sponsoring organizations, other agencies, NGOs and observers from other regions. Lots of opinions were heard and a new approach was charted.

IFAD "PARTICIPATORY VIDEO" PRODUCTIONS IFAD has introduced a number of initiatives to support beneficiaries in the field of communications matters such as the production of participatory videos to enhance the exchange of information between beneficiaries and projectofficials. Recently, two films have been produced on IFAD projects in El Salvador and Indonesia.

VIDEO CATALOGUE: A catalogue of IFAD's video productions.

SOME FACTS ABOUT IFAD: Basic information on the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

LIST OF PROJECTS APPROVED BY IFAD DURING 1993: A list of projects approved by IFAD's Executive Board during 1993 which includes a brief description of the project.

RURAL WOMEN Rural women make vital contributions to the welfare of their families and communities as producers of food and income, and they have the potential for contributing even more. IFAD believes investing in women, particularly in the vital economic roles poor rural women play, pays off handsomely in terms of household and national growth in GNP. It also has social and political payoffs. When women succeed in overcoming poverty, they open the door to their fuller participation in household, community and national decision making, participation that, in turn, strengthens their economic ability to contribute to family and national welfare.

During 1992-93 IFAD organized a series of regional meetings (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa) to bring women from different backgrounds and fields together primarily to:

1) put the issue of poor rural women and their families at the top of the agendas of governments, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations system;

2) create a global awareness of poor rural women's economic constraints, contribution and potential and bring into sharp focus the links between gender, rural poverty, family welfare and national development; and

3) mobilize the national and international action and resources that will help improve rural women's socio-economic position worldwide.

STATE OF WORLD RURAL POVERTY In November 1992 IFAD launched a major study entitled "The State of World Rural Poverty". It is the product of over two years of intensive research and almost a decade and a half of experience in designing and funding development projects.

Copies of the report are available for US$25. Please send a message to Un.IFAD@agora.stm.it or write directly to the Information and Communications Division of IFAD.

For further information, please contact:

Information and Communications Division International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Via del Serafico, 107 00142 Rome, Italy tel: (39-6) 54591 (switchboard) fax: (39-6) 5193328, 5043463 e-mail: un.ifad@agora.stm.it

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 04:10:51 -0500 From: M.Mino@agora.stm.it Subject: IFAD Information

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Information and Communications Division un.ifad@agora.stm.it

ARE YOU A COMMUNICATIONS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERT WITH FIELD EXPERIENCE?

The Information and Communications Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is interested in extending its contacts and seeks in particular specialists in Communications for Rural Development with field experience in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa.

A copy of your curriculumn vitae would be most welcome as well as an exchange of your experiences, ideas and projects.

CONTACT PERSON: The Communications for Rural Development Specialist in IFAD is Ms. Maria Elisa Pinzon. Her e-mail address is e.pinzon@agora.stm.it.

Information and Communications Division International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Via del Serafico, 107 00142 Rome, Italy

tel. (396) 5459-2492, or 54591 (switchboard) fax. (396) 5193328, 5043463

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 04:08:08 -0500 From: M.Mino@agora.stm.it Subject: IFAD Information

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Information and Communications Division un.ifad@agora.stm.it

COMMUNICATIONS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: In 1993 IFAD conducted a survey to find out how communications are incorporated into its projects, whether they are planned and budgeted in a formal manner and, if so, how they are implemented, and to what extent beneficiaries are brought into this process. The findings show that approximately 22% of IFAD's projects have communications activities.

It was decided that a more systematic approach to the design and planning of Communications for Rural Development within projects needed to be adopted. The overall objective is for all new projects to have communications which are planned and resourced at the identification and design stage, with input from local organizations with Communications for Rural Development experience at the grassroots level. IFAD has introduced a number of initiatives to support beneficiaries in the field of communications matters which include: (i) giving planning advice on communications at the design stage of projects; (ii) the production of participatory videos to enhance the exchange of information between beneficiaries and project officials; (iii) identifying practical ways to incorporate communications into the planning and implementation of projects; (iv) organizing regional workshops on communication with a gender perspective to identify common purposes, actions, and practical instruments to support the productive role of rural women; and (v) promoting the participation of rural women and offering them channels of communicaiton relevant to their experience.

A copy of this report "Communications for Rural Developent: A Review of IFAD's Approach to Current Projects and Outlines for the Future" is available upon request.

CONTACT PERSON: The Communications for Rural Development Specialist in IFAD is Ms. Maria Elisa Pinzon. Her e-mail address is e.pinzon@agora.stm.it.

Information and Communications Division International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Via del Serafico, 107 00142 Rome, Italy

tel. (396) 5459-2492, or 54591 (switchboard) fax. (396) 5193328, 5043463


Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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