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We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.

  • Publication | 2026
Matching the moment: The role of the private sector in delivering rural transformation
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Working and engaging with the private sector is essential to delivering on our mission to transform rural areas and the livelihoods they sustain. We want to build rural economies that are prosperous, productive and resilient. Public finance alone cannot deliver the transformation of food systems, nor raise rural incomes or create decent jobs. The private sector accounts for more than 90 per cent of global food systems’ activity. It complements public sector financing in a critical way: providing technology, market access and logistics. These are the elements that allow small farms, pastoralists, fishers, rural entrepreneurs and other agrifood enterprises to grow and prosper. IFAD has a long history of experience with the private sector, currently working with more than 100,000 private sector partners worldwide. Over time, we have developed and tested concrete models that align market incentives with development outcomes. These models focus on practical and scalable solutions and enable meaningful co‑investment. When our engagement with the private sector is strong, the development impact is deep and lasting. Together, these findings show that deeper private sector engagement is a key determinant of success in rural transformation.