India and IFAD Launch COSOP 2026–2033 to Boost Climate Resilience, Women’s Empowerment

Addressing the gathering, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Smt. Anuradha Thakur emphasized the strategic depth of India’s long-standing partnership with IFAD.

In a major step toward accelerating rural transformation and sustainable development, the Government of India and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on Tuesday launched a new eight-year Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) 2026–2033, aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods, enhancing climate resilience and scaling inclusive development models across India and the Global South.

The new strategy was unveiled during the IFAD–India Partnership for Rural Prosperity event held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, bringing together senior government officials, IFAD leadership, development institutions, financial organisations, private sector stakeholders and rural development practitioners.

Officials described the initiative as a significant milestone in India's long-standing partnership with IFAD and a major step toward building resilient, market-oriented and innovation-driven rural economies aligned with India's Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.

New Rural Development Strategy Focuses on Resilience and Knowledge Leadership

The COSOP 2026–2033 framework is structured around two major strategic priorities:

1. Strengthening Rural Community Resilience

The programme seeks to enhance:

• Social resilience

• Economic resilience

• Climate resilience

among rural communities across India through sustainable livelihood systems and inclusive economic opportunities.

2. Scaling Proven Development Models Globally

The strategy also focuses on strengthening knowledge systems to scale successful Indian rural development models across:

• India

• Africa

• Southeast Asia

• Latin America

• Other Global South countries

Officials say the initiative positions India not only as a development beneficiary but increasingly as a global development partner and knowledge provider.

India-IFAD Partnership Deeply Aligned with National Priorities

Addressing the gathering, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Smt. Anuradha Thakur emphasized the strategic depth of India's long-standing partnership with IFAD.

"India-IFAD partnership is distinguished by not only its longevity, but its strategic alignment," she said.

According to Thakur, IFAD-supported programmes in India have remained closely integrated with national priorities over the years, particularly in areas such as:

• Agricultural transformation

• Livelihood diversification

• Women's empowerment

• Institutional strengthening

• Rural financial inclusion

She noted that the partnership has evolved significantly from traditional poverty alleviation approaches toward building sustainable and market-linked rural economies.

"Over time, the focus has evolved from basic poverty alleviation to building sustainable, market-oriented rural livelihoods that are resilient to climate and economic shocks," she said.

IFAD Highlights India's Rural Development Model as Globally Replicable

IFAD Associate Vice-President Mr. Donal Brown praised the depth and institutional strength of the India-IFAD partnership, describing it as a long-term development ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated projects.

"What we are building together is not a collection of projects—it is a system that connects institutions, finance, infrastructure and markets, and that delivers results for rural people long after any single investment ends," Brown said.

He described the partnership as both "uniquely valuable" and "uniquely replicable," underscoring its potential relevance for other developing economies seeking inclusive rural growth models.

Self-Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organisations at Core of Strategy

A major focus of the COSOP 2026–2033 strategy is strengthening grassroots rural institutions, including:

• Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

• Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)

• Cooperatives

These institutions are increasingly viewed as critical platforms for connecting rural communities with:

• Finance

• Technology

• Markets

• Infrastructure

• Training

• Value chains

Officials say strengthening these community-based institutions is essential for ensuring sustainable and inclusive rural development at scale.

Women's Financial Inclusion and Rural Enterprises Highlighted

Over the last two decades, IFAD-supported programmes in India have reportedly delivered substantial results in areas such as:

• Women's financial inclusion through SHGs

• Market access for farmers

• Rural infrastructure support

• Women-led enterprise development

• E-commerce integration

• Agricultural value addition

Development experts say India's SHG movement has become one of the world's largest community-led financial inclusion initiatives, empowering millions of rural women economically and socially.

Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Gain Priority

The new strategy places strong emphasis on building climate-resilient rural systems amid growing concerns around:

• Climate change

• Agricultural vulnerability

• Water stress

• Rural economic shocks

• Food security challenges

Officials said future programmes under COSOP will increasingly focus on:

• Climate-smart agriculture

• Sustainable value chains

• Rural resilience systems

• Digital agriculture solutions

• Inclusive finance mechanisms

Climate resilience is becoming a central pillar of rural development policy as extreme weather events increasingly affect agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods globally.

India Emerging as Global Knowledge Hub for Rural Development

A major new dimension of the partnership is India's growing role as a global knowledge provider in rural transformation.

The COSOP framework aims to facilitate international sharing of successful Indian development models in areas such as:

• Inclusive rural finance

• Cooperative governance

• Digital agriculture services

• Climate-resilient value chains

• Women-led rural enterprises

• Community-driven development systems

These models are expected to be shared with partner countries across Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Officials said India's development experience offers scalable and cost-effective lessons for many countries in the Global South facing similar rural development challenges.

IFAD and NABARD Sign Strategic Rural Finance Partnership

On the sidelines of the event, IFAD and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at strengthening rural finance systems and supporting innovation in agriculture and allied sectors.

The partnership is expected to focus on:

• Agricultural financing

• Rural entrepreneurship

• Innovation support

• Climate adaptation finance

• Livelihood diversification

NABARD remains one of India's most important rural financial institutions, playing a key role in agricultural credit, rural infrastructure and development financing.

Nearly Five Decades of India-IFAD Cooperation

India's partnership with IFAD spans almost five decades and has involved the implementation of:

• 35 rural development projects

• Multi-state development initiatives

• Support for millions of rural households

Officials say the collaboration has contributed significantly toward:

• Inclusive growth

• Poverty reduction

• Rural institution building

• Agricultural productivity enhancement

• Women's empowerment

The new COSOP seeks to build upon these achievements while aligning future programmes with emerging development priorities.

Rural Transformation Central to Viksit Bharat Vision

The launch of COSOP 2026–2033 reflects the Government of India's broader commitment to transforming rural economies as part of its long-term development vision.

The strategy aligns closely with national priorities focused on:

• Sustainable development

• Rural resilience

• Agricultural modernisation

• Financial inclusion

• Climate adaptation

• Innovation-driven growth

Officials said strengthening rural livelihoods and expanding economic opportunities in rural India will remain essential for achieving the broader goals of Viksit Bharat@2047.

India Expanding Role in Global Development Cooperation

The partnership also signals India's expanding role in shaping global development cooperation frameworks, particularly for the Global South.

Analysts say India is increasingly positioning itself as:

• A development partner

• A provider of scalable public policy models

• A leader in inclusive development innovation

• A bridge between advanced and developing economies

As rural economies worldwide confront growing pressures from climate change, food insecurity and economic volatility, India's development experience is attracting increasing international interest.

The newly launched COSOP framework is therefore being viewed not only as a domestic rural development strategy but also as a platform for strengthening India's global development leadership in the decades ahead.