SPECIAL FEATURE
T he third decade of this millennium started with a global pandemic with all of us being confined to our homes. It has brought devastating climate shocks like we never saw before. And violent conflict. Thus far, it has been a decade of crises. The poorest and most marginalized people are unfortunately the most affected by these crises. They must
With the right investment in rural people the future can be a bright one – one where
PROFILE: DINA SALEH
also come first in our response. Eighty percent of the world’s
communities thrive, where
Dina Saleh is the Regional Director of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) at IFAD. Before that, she was based in Cairo leading IFAD’s Middle East and North Africa Hub as sub- regional Director. Saleh has over 20 years’ international experience in development projects and programmes in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. She also served as the Regional Portfolio Adviser for the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division. Prior to joining IFAD in 2007, Saleh worked at the United Nations Office for Project Services in Nairobi, Tunis and Rome and with private sector companies. She holds an MSc from the University of London in Development Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from United States International University.
extremely poor are rural people, who mainly rely on food systems for their livelihoods and food security. Small- scale farmers, who produce up to 70 percent of the food consumed in low- and middle-income countries are often excluded from financing, social services, electricity and even paved roads. At the same time they are on the front lines of climate change. Their work is critical for providing affordable and nutritious food for billions of people across the world. They can help us to change a reality that sees at least three billion people globally unable to afford healthy diets – many of them small-scale farmers themselves. But, in the midst of multiple crises, they need our support now more than ever. However, I do not want to draw a bleak picture of the present – rather, I would like to share a sense of hope for a better future. How we respond to the crises of today will shape the world of tomorrow. With the right investment in rural people that future can be a bright one – one where communities thrive, where youth have hope and where people everywhere can satisfy their most basic need: to eat. A “polycrisis” results from the interplay of geopolitical, environmental and socio-economic hazards. These hazards undermine markets, societies and natural
youth have hope and where people everywhere can satisfy their most basic need: to eat.
Dina Saleh, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Regional Director of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division
In fragile situations, IFAD’s engagement is guided by a “triple nexus” approach, which emphasizes the need for humanitarian, development and peacebuilding actors to work together to find solutions for women and men whose lives and livelihoods are under threat. Interventions in fragile and conflict- affected situations must promote stability, build resilience and support sustainable rural development.
period and were in high demand in local markets: tomato, pepper, papaya and courgette. IFAD gave the farmers inputs and training, covering topics such as fertilizer, growing cycles and common crop diseases. The ongoing activities have resulted in increases in income and production among many of the poorest rural households targeted by the project, in turn strengthening their resilience to shocks. Most beneficiaries reported having become more food secure, while others highlighted that they were able to access health and education for their children that they would not have been able to afford without project support. Finding ways to make
ecosystems. They deepen vulnerabilities and erode positive development gains. At IFAD, we are facing many cases of fragility. The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan and the situation in Iraq, Somalia, Yemen and Syria are just some of the examples we deal with every day.
This means working with farmers in some of the most delicate contexts in the world. In Yemen, for example, we met with local
80% of the world's extremely
farmers to ask them what they needed to strengthen the viability of their activities. As a consequence, the
food production resilient in conditions of scarce and irregular rainfall is a focus of many of our activities in the region. Last year, Morocco suffered its worst drought
poor live in rural areas
farmers decided to focus on four crops that required little water, had a short growth
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