Pope Leo XIV and IFAD Align on Data-Driven Rural Innovation to Tackle Hunger, Conflict, and Forced Migration

President Lario highlighted how rural investment functions as a stabilising system, not just a poverty-reduction tool—an insight increasingly supported by data across IFAD programmes.

Pope Leo XIV today received Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace—signalling a growing convergence between moral leadership and evidence-based rural innovation as tools to combat hunger, poverty, and instability.

The meeting underscored the alignment between the Holy Father’s social vision—centred on human dignity, inclusion, and peace—and IFAD’s mission to transform rural economies through targeted investments in some of the world’s most fragile regions.

“IFAD and the Holy See share the conviction that everyone, especially in rural areas, must have the opportunity to lead productive lives, earn a decent income, and live in peace,” President Lario said. “These are the fundamentals of human dignity.”

Rural Development as a Stability Technology

President Lario highlighted how rural investment functions as a stabilising system, not just a poverty-reduction tool—an insight increasingly supported by data across IFAD programmes.

• In Ethiopia, every 1% increase in land productivity linked to IFAD investments corresponded with a 3% reduction in local conflicts

• In Mali, districts without IFAD support saw an 8% rise in local conflicts, compared to districts benefiting from rural finance and advisory services

These findings reinforce the growing view among development economists and policy technologists that food systems, land productivity, and rural livelihoods are core components of peace infrastructure.

“Investing in rural people delivers lasting stability and shared prosperity,” Lario said, echoing Pope Leo XIV’s call to promote what the Pontiff has described as “the craft of peace.”

From Peru to the Global South: Proof of Impact at Scale

Pope Leo XIV’s pastoral experience in Peru provided a tangible point of connection. IFAD’s Avanzar Rural programme in the country—built on community-driven development models—has increased rural incomes by an average of 40%, demonstrating how locally anchored, data-informed interventions can deliver measurable economic gains.

President Lario stressed that such outcomes are especially critical for young people in rural areas, where lack of opportunity fuels instability, forced migration, and long-term inequality.

When rural families gain access to finance, markets, climate-resilience tools, and advisory services, they build businesses, grow incomes, and create local economic ecosystems that reduce displacement pressures.

Hunger Is Falling—But the System Remains Fragile

The meeting comes against a backdrop of cautious global progress:

• 673 million people—about 8.2% of the global population—experienced hunger in 2024

• This marks a decline from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022

• Yet 80% of the world’s poorest people still live in rural areas of developing countries

The data underscores both momentum and risk: gains remain vulnerable to climate shocks, conflict, and underinvestment.

A Call to Action as IFAD Launches Its Next Replenishment

The audience took place as IFAD prepares to launch its 2028–2030 replenishment campaign, seeking to mobilise core funding to scale proven rural solutions at a time of heightened geopolitical and climate volatility.

President Lario welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s moral leadership in urging global solidarity and inclusive development.

“We are inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s call to build a more just world,” Lario said. “Rural investment is not charity—it is smart, preventative infrastructure for peace, food security, and shared prosperity.”

Why This Matters for Tech, Impact Finance, and Policy Innovators

For agri-tech developers, climate-tech investors, development financiers, and policy innovators, the message is clear: rural systems are leverage points.

Early adopters are urged to:

• Invest in data-driven rural productivity tools

• Scale climate-resilient agriculture and land-use innovation

• Support community-led economic models with measurable outcomes

• Align technology and finance with dignity-centred development goals

As global leaders grapple with hunger, displacement, and conflict, the Vatican-IFAD dialogue highlights a growing consensus: peace and prosperity start where food is grown.