India–IFAD Launch Country Strategic
Opportunities Programme 2026–2033 for Rural Prosperity
The Government of India and the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) launched the new Country Strategic
Opportunities Programme (COSOP) 2026–2033 to strengthen rural livelihoods,
resilience, and sustainable development in line with India’s Viksit Bharat@2047
vision.
Country Strategic Opportunities Programme
(COSOP) 2026–2033
¨
COSOP 2026–2033 is an
eight-year strategic partnership framework between India and IFAD for rural
development and agricultural transformation.
It focuses on two major priorities
1. Enhancing
the social, economic, and climate resilience of rural communities.
2. Strengthening
knowledge systems to scale successful rural development models within India and
across the Global South.
The programme gives special emphasis to grassroots
institutions such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations
(FPOs), and cooperatives as platforms linking finance, technology,
infrastructure, and markets. The strategy aims to promote sustainable and
market-oriented rural livelihoods instead of only poverty alleviation. COSOP
also seeks to position India as a global knowledge leader by sharing successful
models like inclusive rural finance, digital agriculture services, cooperative
governance, and climate-resilient value chains with countries in Africa,
Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Under the partnership, IFAD and the National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a strategic
agreement to strengthen rural finance systems and support innovation in
agriculture and allied sectors.
International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD)
¨
IFAD was established in
1977 in response to the global food crisis and is a specialized agency of the
United Nations as well as an international financial institution.
¨
Its headquarters is
located in Rome, Italy.
¨
India is a founding
member of IFAD, and the organisation currently has 180 member states.
¨ IFAD aims to reduce rural poverty and hunger by investing in rural people, especially poor small-scale farmers and vulnerable communities.
¨ The organisation works to improve food security, increase rural incomes, strengthen climate resilience, promote sustainable agriculture, expand access to finance and technology, and support rural livelihoods through inclusive development programmes.
