The World Bank works with countries to help farmers increase yields and produce more nutritious and safe food for a growing population, improve their livelihoods and create rural jobs. The Bank provides farmers with the infrastructure, innovation and resources they need to farm more productively in the face of climate change, including:
- Advancing approaches, such as Climate-Smart Agriculture, which allow farmers to sustainably produce more food, be resilient to climate shocks, adapt to climate change, reduce GHG emissions and reduce negative impact on the environment
- Expanding agriculture financing
- Improving irrigation
- Supporting agribusiness
- Providing training on best practices and innovative approaches to farming, livestock and food production
- Giving women farmers the right tools and opportunities
In Afghanistan, the Bank provided farming tools and trained fruit farmers to adopt best practices for increasing their fruit harvests. To date, 5,229 hectares of new fruit orchards have been established and 29,192 hectares of existing orchards have been rehabilitated, boosting production and livelihoods for farmers in 121 districts.
In Colombia, a ranching project provided assistance on setting up environmentally sustainable cattle systems on 2,241 farms.
In Cote d’Ivoire, the Bank provided equipment and training, and rehabilitated research centers to boost the productivity of rice farmers. 50,000 rice farmers—25% of whom are women--have benefited from higher harvests. Seed productivity has improved in 36% of irrigated rice areas and is expected to yield 219,000 tons of paddy rice.
In water-scarce Djibouti, the Bank helped construct water harvesting structures benefiting 914 households and 4,620 livestock,while increasing grazing biomass with additional 271,400 forage units.
In Egypt, the Bank provided drainage improvements benefiting 600,000 families over 1,013,000 ‘feddan’ of irrigated areas andimproved irrigation for an additional 347,030 feddan benefiting 210,000 families.
In India, the Bank introduced new technologies and approaches to raise farm productivity, manage scarce water resources and enable better planting decisions for more than 167,000 farm households in Karnataka—including 80,000 women. In Bihar, the Bank helped nearly 400,000 farmers implement the System of Root Intensification (SRI) to improve productivity of rice by 86% ,wheat by 72% and 18 other crops; SRI is now state policy. The Bank also helped implement a dairy intervention in more than 25,000 households that brought in incomes of up to Rs 15,000.
In Kosovo, the Bank helped improve infrastructure and equipment in the horticulture and livestock industries, creating jobs and benefiting 4,000 people.
In Madagascar, the Bank financed a dam that is irrigating 2,100 hectares of paddy fields and benefiting 6,000 households.
In Mali, the Bank helped 175,000 farmers adopt new technologies, livestock feeding practices and crop varieties—including high-yielding rice seeds and pest-resistant tomatoes—to revitalize productivity. Farmers reported 30% higher yields and a 34% increase in their revenues.
In Moldova, the Bank helped farming communities cope with climate change through grants for anti-hail nets and microclimate systems, as well as a weather-alert app that provides updated information to 6,000 farmers.
In Mongolia, the Bank helped make index insurance accessible and affordable for herders whose livestock are vulnerable to extreme weather. Over 19,500 herders purchased insurance in 2014.
In Papua New Guinea, the Bank is providing cocoa farmers with training and tools to revive the cocoa industry. To date, nearly a million cocoa trees have been rehabilitated or planted, raising yields and incomes for thousands of families.
In Samoa, the Bank helped farmers invest in tools, technology, water storage and livestock through a program that has already benefited 190 livestock, fruit and vegetable farmers.
In Sierra Leone, the Bank worked with farmers on using herbicides, organic fertilizers and innovative farming methods tointensify rice production for 18,724 farmers and 1,056 hectares of land. High-yielding rice varieties have been adopted by 10,865 farmers.
In Togo, the Bank helped farmers adopt better breeding techniques, allowing 12,500 livestock producers to expand their businesses, grow their incomes and raise healthier livestock.
In Yemen, where 68% of the population is rural, the Bank helped improve the yield of 60,000 farmers who now use improved seeds and seed technology on a total of 24,000 hectares.
The Bank supports farm management practices that boost soil carbon sequestration such as agro-forestry, mulching and intercropping. In Kenya, the Bank has helped farmers use a wide range of techniques to improve soil fertility on 45,000 hectares of land.
Last Updated: Apr 01, 2015