25 January 2017
New York – During their first meeting of 2017, the Board of Directors of the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) approved a project to establish an agricultural research center in the Union of the Comoros.
The center will be part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing, Environment, Livestock and Industry of Comoros. It will be developed with technical support provided by the Agricultural Research Center, a public institution of the Government of South Africa.
The $1.8 million initiative will improve local livelihoods and food security through enhanced agricultural practices.
The IBSA Fund Board also approved a project to upscale the adoption of environmentally-friendly rocket stoves. This project will be implemented under the guidance of the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation of the Government of Fiji.
The initiative will improve health, particularly for women who are most often harmed by unsafe cooking practices. It will also reduce time spent on routine household chores, particularly the collecting of wood, and decrease the felling of trees to be used for cooking fuel.
The Government of South Africa assumed, from Brazil, the role of Chair of the IBSA Fund for 2017, and informed the IBSA Fund Board that they look forward to a productive and highly active year for IBSA.
