IFAD has been funding three operations in Colombia, with a total cost of US$93.8 million.

In 1981 the Executive Board approved the first project, the Rural Development Project Auraca II, now closed. Political violence affected the project’s implementation. IFAD resumed operations in 1996 with the Rural Microenterprise Development Programme, now closed. The Rural Microenterprise Assets Programme: Capitalization, Technical Assistance and Investment Support operation is ongoing.

IFAD-funded grants have brought benefits to Colombia by supporting rural development training throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. IFAD has provided financing for:

• the Regional Institution for Rural Development Training
• the programme for Strengthening the Regional Capacity for Evaluation of Rural Poverty Alleviation Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean
• the Regional Training Programme in Rural Development

The grants have contributed to policy development, training, experiednce sharing and project deisgn and implementation.

In 2001 IFAD earmarked a grant through the Extended Cooperation Programme for the Association of Peasant and Indigenous Women of Boyacá, a Colombian NGO. The grant contributed to strengthening microenterprises run by poor rural women.

IFAD’s strategy

IFAD’s operations in Colombia allow it to consolidate its role as an active agent for innovation in rural development and rural poverty reduction, as well as its expertise in post-conflict situations.

IFAD’s strategy emphasizes the potential of rural microenterprises to achieve major development goals, such as generating rural incomes, increasing production and productivity, and enhancing the often underrated market value of rural assets, including cultural and ethnic heritage. The development of rural microenterprises in targeted areas of the country also generates employment opportunities for young people, thereby helping curb their recruitment by violent groups.

IFAD supports government policies and programmes focused on:

• the development of markets for rural financial services
• the development of specialized non-financial service markets, such as assistance services for production, processing and commerce, contracted directly by rural microentrepreneurs
• the sustainable management of natural resources and land, together with increased recognition of the value of biological and cultural heritage
• decentralization and the participation of regional and local institutions
• policy dialogue and knowledge management
• the development of social and economic corridors linking rural areas, villages and towns without compromising local identities

The best practices of the current programme, ‘Oportunidades Rurales’ are already being adopted and replicated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. These will be disseminated through a programme of learning routes and exchange visits and apprenticeships among smallholders and producers (rutas de aprendizaje y pasantías). The rural financial services component has also been selected for replication and scaling up elsewhere in the country.

At the request of the government, IFAD is designing a new microenterprise support programme, the Rural Development Services Programme, known as Trust and Opportunities (TOP). The programme will have a broad scope, aiming to tackle problems of inequality and poverty in rural areas, and to promote equal access to basic services, including financial services.

IFAD-funded grants have supported policy development, rural development training, project design and implementation in Colombia and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. At the regional level, IFAD has provided financing for:

• the Corporation for Regional Rural Development Training (PROCASUR)
• the Programme for Strengthening the Regional Capacity for Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Poverty Alleviation Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean (PREVAL)
• the Regional Training Programme in Rural Development – Phase II

Country strategic opportunities paper: English | Español

Source: IFAD