The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has pledged to deepen its partnership with Kenya to accelerate agricultural transformation, strengthen food security and improve livelihoods in rural communities.
The commitment comes as the organisation’s new Country Director and Representative to Kenya, Matteo Marchisio, formally assumed office after presenting his credentials to Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi on Thursday.
Marchisio said IFAD would continue working with the government and other partners to strengthen rural livelihoods, build climate resilience and expand economic opportunities for rural communities.
“Mutual commitment and shared ownership are at the heart of our partnership with Kenya,” he said, reaffirming the organisation’s support for the country’s development priorities.
The partnership comes as Kenya seeks to transform its agricultural sector by empowering farmers, reducing production costs, promoting value addition and agribusiness, and attracting public and private investment to create jobs in rural areas.
IFAD supports these efforts through investments in smallholder farmers, rural enterprises and financial services, while strengthening agricultural value chains, market access and sustainable natural resource management.
The organisation is also working with the government to strengthen preparedness for climate-related shocks, including El Niño.
IFAD-financed projects are supporting measures to improve early warning systems, reduce risks, protect vulnerable rural households and productive assets, and facilitate recovery from climate-related disasters.
Marchisio said the development of IFAD’s next country strategy for Kenya in 2027 would provide an opportunity to align future investments with government priorities and emerging challenges.
The strategy is expected to build on collaboration with national and county governments, the private sector, farmers’ organisations and development partners.
He also acknowledged Kenya’s role in IFAD’s governance and thanked the government for its contribution to the institution’s fourteenth replenishment, saying the pledge demonstrated the country’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and sustainable rural development despite a challenging fiscal environment.
Kenya joined IFAD in 1977, and the two have maintained a partnership spanning nearly five decades.
During this period, IFAD has financed more than 20 programmes and projects in the country, mobilising nearly 1.4 billion US dollars to support rural transformation, agricultural development, and climate resilience.
The investments have helped improve livelihoods, strengthen resilience and create opportunities for millions of rural Kenyans.
IFAD is an international financial institution focused exclusively on transforming rural economies through investments in rural communities, agricultural value chains and food security.
By Wangari Ndirangu
