23 August 2011: Kanayo F. Nwanza, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is to meet with senior officials during his upcoming visit to Norway and Finland, to discuss possible solutions for the Horn of Africa crisis in the immediate-term as well as longer-term interventions to build resilience of the local farmers.

Ahead of his visit, Nwanze highlighted the importance of focusing on increasing the resilience of smallholder farmers in the long-term to decrease their vulnerability to climate events and called for linking immediate aid relief with the longer-term needs of the region. Nwanze is expected to meet with the Norwegian State Secretary of Development, Ingrid Fiskaa, and others to gain a clearer understanding among the various stakeholders on how best to support governments in creating stronger rural development policies and infrastructure. Discussions on the inclusion of woman smallholder farmers are also expected to take place.

While in Finland, Nwanze will meet with the Finnish Development Cooperation Minister, Heidi Hautala, and the Finninsh Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Jari Koskinen, to deliberate on futher strengthening the IFAD partnership with Finland particularly within the area of natural resource management. The discussions aim to address greater competition for access to land and water that has arisen as a result of climate change, increasing resource prices and rapid urbanization. [IFAD Press Release]