IFAD and China: Pioneering a future for sustainable rural development

Editor's note: Nii Quaye-Kumah, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is the representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development to China and head of the regional South-South and Triangular Cooperation Center for Asia. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On October 24, the United Nations will celebrate its 80th anniversary – a milestone that underscores the enduring value of multilateral cooperation in tackling humanity's greatest challenges.

It is also a timely moment to celebrate 45 years of partnership between China and the United Nations' International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the only UN specialized agency and international financial institution dedicated to transforming agriculture, rural economies and food systems. This partnership has supported China's remarkable rural transformation while also contributing valuable lessons to the global fight against hunger and poverty.

Since joining IFAD in 1980 as one of its earliest members, China has benefited from 35 IFAD-financed projects, reaching 4.65 million rural families. Through financial support, technical expertise, and innovative practices, these projects have boosted agricultural productivity, expanded access to rural finance, improved market linkages, and promoted climate-smart farming practices.

China's elimination of extreme poverty in 2020 represents a milestone of historic global significance, especially in the achievement of the first UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): "No poverty." IFAD is proud to have contributed to this achievement.

As we celebrate 45 years of successful cooperation, we also look to the future with renewed hope. Our outlook ties in well with the UN's landmark international agreement Pact for the Future, adopted by its member states at the 2024 Summit of the Future. It is designed to modernize the international system for 21st century challenges. The 56 commitments outlined across key areas and the Declaration on Future Generations are aligned with IFAD's mandate and work. 

Ending extreme rural poverty in China is a milestone, but the country's journey toward a prosperous, modern, and sustainable society continues. The challenges ahead include preventing those lifted out of poverty from falling back into poverty, reducing rural-urban inequalities, revitalizing rural areas, and ensuring green, sustainable development. IFAD has committed to support China in resolving these challenges and has, together with the government, formulated a new country strategy for 2025-2030 for this purpose.

The strategy is closely aligned with China's national priorities, and focuses on rural revitalization and greening the agricultural and agribusiness sector. It places emphasis on supporting China to generate and strengthen effective and sustainable rural institutions that support poverty alleviation, contributing to regional and global public goods and sharing China's rural development solutions with other countries facing similar challenges through South-South cooperation.

Earlier this year, two new IFAD-financed projects with a total investment of about $460 million were launched in China's Hunan and Gansu provinces to enhance production and access to markets, while optimizing environmental sustainability, climate resilience and contributing to China's carbon neutrality goal.

IFAD's work in China has evolved over time from traditional investment projects to more innovative and inclusive approaches that integrate climate resilience, digital technologies, and entrepreneurship, and act as a conduit for empowering women, youth, and ethnic minorities.

For example, in Yunnan, IFAD-supported youth entrepreneurs have modernized irrigation networks with smartphone-controlled drip systems, dramatically improving water efficiency. Similarly, in Hunan, IFAD financing has enabled 5G-enabled smart fisheries led by young entrepreneurs and researchers.

With women making up around half of the rural producers supported by IFAD in China, female entrepreneurs are increasingly emerging as leaders in sectors such as tea production, bakeries, and batik crafts – demonstrating that gender equality and rural revitalization are deeply interconnected.

These efforts are taking place against a backdrop of rising global food insecurity. Around 673 million people worldwide continue to face hunger. Vulnerable rural communities are disproportionately affected, as climate change, conflict, and economic instability threaten their livelihoods. With five years left to achieve the 2030 SDGs, urgently accelerating progress on SDG 1 (No poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero hunger) takes centre stage. IFAD's strategy in China for 2025-2030 will contribute directly to these goals, offering models that can be scaled and adapted globally.

Looking ahead, China's extensive experience in poverty reduction, forged across diverse geographies and driven by locally adapted strategies, offers invaluable insights for other developing countries which face similar challenges that China faced. There is also opportunity for China to learn from these other countries, thus expanding the knowledge base for effective action through the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) mechanism.

As part of its strategic priorities, IFAD acts as a bridge for the global exchange of this knowledge and experience, responding to specific country demands, strengthening its commitment to shared growth and sustainable development worldwide.

Through the China-IFAD SSTC facility, innovations, technologies and practices gathered from project implementation in China are being shared with countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Innovations such as the mechanized monorail fruit transport system from IFAD's project in Yunnan are being shared through IFAD's global knowledge sharing platform the Rural Solutions Portal.

The UN marks its 80th anniversary at a very critical juncture of global transformation where we are confronted by rising and potentially damaging risks. With five years left to achieve the SDGs, and considering the progress made so far, decisive action is needed. A stronger IFAD-China partnership – anchored in rural revitalization, climate resilience, and a reliable SSTC mechanism, will be central to this effort.

By scaling up the exchange of China's poverty reduction lessons and innovations through IFAD's global platform, we can provide insights to other developing countries on how they can accelerate progress in achieving a sustainable rural development future. There will also be an opportunity for China to learn from other South countries to complement their domestic efforts.