This document discusses mainstreaming biodiversity into IFAD investments. It notes that IFAD aims to pursue multiple-benefit approaches that enhance biodiversity, agricultural productivity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Specific challenges for IFAD beneficiaries in marginal environments with low incomes and market connections include historically relying on low-input agriculture. The document explores means for biodiversity-related investments, such as IFAD grants to NGOs for research, but notes challenges with scaling pathways. Biodiversity impacts discussed include projects supporting forest and natural resource management that provide insights around tenure, time, and building social capital.

1. Eric Patrick, Adaptation Specialist, with inputs from:
Joyce Njoro, Senior Nutrition Specialist and Rikke Olivier,
Senior Technical Specialist Natural Resource Management Policy
Mainstreaming Biodiversity IFAD Investments

2. “IFAD will pursue “multiple-benefit” approaches that simultaneously enhance
biodiversity, increase agricultural productivity and lower greenhouse gas
emissions from the agriculture sector while contributing to poverty reduction.”
IFAD Strategic Framework 2016-2025
BD related Policies & Strategies

3. Aspects of BD mainstreaming
Specificities of IFAD target beneficiaries– marginal environments,
low income, low density, weak market connections:
Historically low external input agriculture
BD in IFAD historically a means to an end and a co-benefit
Changes in external/internal environment: SDGs, nutritional
aspect of food security, gender empowerment (control over
resources), resilience etc
Multi-benefit interventions, multiple mainstreaming; but do we
have analytics, processes, incentives, counterparts etc?

4. Means for BD related Investment
IFAD internal grants: ie last 20+ years agro-BD explicit grants to
CG, NGOs for applied research: average several $M/year
Often Innovative ie community managed evolutionary plant
breeding, informal sees sector
BUT connection to IFAD lending as scaling pathway? Willingness
to borrow? Enabling policy environment?
CC: ASAP Trust Fund ($360m) included agro BD target
BUT indicator measurability: simplified to indirect measure
GEF: 8 of 12 projects in IFAD led multi-agency IAP on
Sustainable Food Security includes BD FA funding
BUT range understanding ‘’BD’’: strength of programmatic app.?
POLG: 11% to ENRM (2010-2015: & trending upwards)

5. Neglected and underutilized species in India, Nepal,
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Yemen, Egypt
Three phases project from
2001-1015. USD 3.8M in
IFAD grant to Bioversity Int.
 Community agro-
biodiversity surveys, CCA
and nutrition values, ‘read
list’ and threats maps
 Recovered varieties, community seed banks and linkages with
national gene banks
 Custodian farmers and crop diversity gardens
 Value chain development for NUS
 Capacity building for policy strengthening incorporating NUS in
food security and nutrition policies and distribution systems

6. BD Impacts & Insights
FMNR Millions of ha in the Sahel: IFAD played significant role by
supporting over 30 years in southern Niger.
Insights: tenure, time
Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund KenGen, Coca Cola etc
Insights: need for trust brokering and assurance, technical
intermediation (TNC) catalytic funding (GEF), importance of urban
markets for environmental goods
CBNRM project Ethiopia Social fencing, evidence of benefits
Insights: Social capital formalization in management institutions,
reinforced for policy (Lake Tana registered as UNESCO Biosphere)

8. IFAD’s Portfolio with BD Benefits

9. Technical Support to IFAD's operations