IFAD to open first Liaison Office in Japan to tackle hunger, poor nutrition

Food systems dominated by small-scale farms produce more than 70% of the food calories in sub-Saharan Africa, and South and East Asia.

Recognizing that investments in small-scale farmers in developing countries are imperative to tackle hunger, poor nutrition and poverty, the Japanese government and the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed a historic agreement today to open the first IFAD Liaison Office in Japan.

The agreement was signed by Gilbert F. Houngbo, IFAD President, and the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Japan to IFAD, Oe Hiroshi.

With its new presence in Japan, IFAD will deepen its engagement with the government, parliamentarians, the private sector, academia and civil society, and promote partnerships and exchanges of knowledge and expertise, including in the areas of ICT for development, reducing food loss, strengthening food value chains and improving nutrition in rural areas.

"Japan's international leadership role in support of better nutrition is more important than ever if we want to end hunger by 2030," said Houngbo. "This agreement reflects our joint commitment to this goal, and gives us an opportunity to work closely together to build sustainable food systems that promote healthy diets, improve rural peoples' incomes and build their resilience to ensure adaptation to climate change."

Food systems dominated by small-scale farms produce more than 70% of the food calories in sub-Saharan Africa, and South and East Asia. Small-scale farming is also key to maintaining nutritional diversity.

"Japan welcomes IFAD's decision to open the IFAD Liaison Office in Japan. IFAD is an important partner of Japan to tackle difficult challenges such as food insecurity and malnutrition as well as poverty in rural areas," said Oe Hiroshi. "We believe this new office will be a strong hub for broadening and deepening IFAD's engagement with a variety of stakeholders in Japan and leverage better knowledge and partnership for transforming rural livelihoods."