Abu Dhabi: In a bid to achieve food security in developing countries and eradicate global poverty, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) — a national entity for development aid — has allocated nearly Dh3.2 billion for development projects in agricultural and irrigation sectors around the world.
Representing seven per cent of the total financial assistance contributed by the fund to support developing countries till date, this assistance has allowed the countries to fulfil their sustainable development objectives, as 40 per cent of the world’s population relies on agriculture for its livelihood.
In its report marking Arab Agriculture Day, the fund pointed out that the agricultural sector, closely associated with the growth of many other vital sectors such as health, education and environment, is one of the priority sectors identified by the United Nations (UN) in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).
By supporting agriculture, ADFD plays an important role in achieving food security, the cornerstone of building successful economies.
Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD, said: “ADFD has placed great importance on the agricultural sector since its inception more than four-and-a-half decades ago. Our funding efforts in this regard are focused on projects that significantly improve people’s livelihood and fulfil their daily needs of food and water, allowing us to eradicate poverty and create jobs for the developing world’s population.”
“Agricultural projects allows us to create safe and prosperous societies, capable of achieving development in other sectors. We need to step up concerted global efforts to develop more agricultural projects, reclaiming vast expanses of agricultural land and improving our irrigation systems. This will allow us to support farmers and achieve food security for developing countries,” he said.
To date, ADFD has funded more than 20 projects in agricultural and irrigation sectors that have touched the lives of millions of people across the developing world. It has also actively contributed to the expansion of large swathes of agricultural land, provided effective irrigation systems, and implemented several rehabilitation programmes that benefit a growing number of farmers.
Notable among the ADFD funded projects in the agricultural sector are the south valley development project in Egypt, an integrated development in Jordan, an irrigation system development in Western Morocco and the rural development project in Tunisia.
The international community seeks to assist developing countries in meeting the basic food needs of their population. In order for countries to achieve food security, they need to boost their food production by prioritising the agricultural sector in economic and social development programmes.
Additionally, the development of effective agricultural policies, utilisation of latest technologies in the investment process, and increased agricultural investment are imperative for augmenting agricultural production.
