South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Highlights from IFAD’s Portfolio South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Highlights from IFAD’s Portfolio October 2017 © 2017 International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Fund for Agricultural Development of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The designations “developed” and “developing” economies are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. This publication or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission from IFAD, provided that the publication or extract therefrom reproduced is attributed to IFAD and the title of this publication is stated in any publication and that a copy thereof is sent to IFAD. ISBN 978-92-9072-782-8 Printed October 2017 Front cover: ©IFAD/R. Ramasomanana Table of contents Foreword ............................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements................................................................................................ 6 Executive summary ................................................................................................ 9 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 9 Main trends in IFAD’s SSTC operations .....................................................................11 Highlights from IFAD’s SSTC portfolio .......................................................................13 Main lessons learned and opportunities for the future ..................................................14 Section 1 • Introduction ..................................................................................... 17 Background of SSTC ............................................................................................17 The importance of SSTC for IFAD today ....................................................................18 IFAD’s SSTC strategy ............................................................................................19 Embedding SSTC into IFAD’s business model and institutional structure ........................ 20 IFAD commitments to SSTC .................................................................................. 22 The SSTC Facility ................................................................................................ 23 SSTC and youth and rural employment .....................................................................24 SSTC and private-sector investment ........................................................................24 Section 2 • Objectives and methodology ............................................................ 27 Objectives ...........................................................................................................27 Scope and methodology .......................................................................................27 Limitations ........................................................................................................ 28 Report structure .................................................................................................. 29 Section 3 • Trends in IFAD’s SSTC operations ..................................................... 31 Distribution of SSTC activities .................................................................................31 Learning subjects ............................................................................................... 33 Increasing interest in SSTC activities from 2011 ......................................................... 34 Section 4 • Highlights from IFAD’s SSTC portfolio: drivers of success ................ 37 Addressing the pressing and salient issues of today ...................................................37 Strengthening capacities, institutions and policies for enhanced livelihoods ................... 40 Transferring innovations and building on earlier successes .......................................... 46 Selecting strong partners and building effective partnerships ...................................... 48 Drawing on emerging expertise within regions to provide solutions ................................51 Section 5 • Main lessons learned and opportunities for the future ....................... 55 Lessons for replicating successful models ................................................................ 55 Opportunities for strengthening IFAD’s delivery of SSTC ............................................. 57 Annexes Annex I • Case studies ....................................................................................... 63 Annex II • Additional graphs on IFAD SSTC activities .............................................. 159 3 Boxes Box 1 • Prioritizing SSTC: Examples from IFAD’s Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) .................................................................... 32 Box 2 • Farmers to farmers’ training in diversity field fairs and seed fairs ................... 39 Box 3 • Experience of Uruguay’s rural development round tables in Argentina ........... 42 Box 4 • Agrinovia initiative building SSC at the institutional level .............................. 44 Box 5 • Promoting gender transformative approaches through SSTC activities ........... 45 Box 6 • The IFAD-supported programme for Rural Youth and Agricultural Business Development in West and Central Africa .................................................. 46 Box 7 • The bamboo livelihoods grant builds on a larger grant .................................47 Box 8 • China as a strong middle-income country partner in SSTC .......................... 50 Box 9 • Scaling up and leveraging additional funds ............................................... 50 Box 10 • Drawing on emerging expertise in Latin America: the case of the MKTPlace grant .................................................................................. 52 4 Foreword South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) is a key development instrument that can contribute to achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It provides unprecedented opportunities for developing countries to leverage their own experience, knowledge and resources in support of social and economic transformation of their, and other, people. A large majority of poor people in developing countries live in rural areas and depend on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods. SSTC can help rural people acquire the necessary skills, know-how and access to low-cost technologies to better adapt to climate change and other development challenges to improve their productivity, food security, nutritional status and incomes. SSTC is therefore particularly important for meeting SDG 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere) and SDG 2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), which are at the centre of IFAD’s mandate. SSTC is part of IFAD’s holistic development approach and its evolving business model. It complements the traditional North-South development paradigm but goes beyond it, fostering stronger partnerships among developing countries, their institutions and people – a key principle of IFAD’s Strategic Framework 2016-2025 and its country programmes. I am pleased to present IFAD’s first comprehensive publication on its efforts in promoting SSTC. In line with IFAD’s global mandate of supporting and improving the lives of rural people who live in often remote areas, the publication reflects experience across all geographic regions and includes concrete case studies and examples of projects and programmes in different countries. As we mark 40 years since the start of IFAD operations and the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries, the aim of this publication is to highlight lessons and good practices that can serve not only IFAD but the wider development community to better design and implement projects and programmes, and contribute to improving policies and institutions in the rural sector, by leveraging the potential of SSTC. This can benefit the millions of people in developing countries who still suffer from hunger, poverty and malnutrition. It is clear, however, that the challenge of realizing the full potential of SSTC has not yet been realized, and no single organization or government can do it alone. Action will be needed to promote partnerships not only among development organizations, but also with the private sector and financial institutions from emerging economies, in order to support sustainable agriculture and agribusiness, as well as financing opportunities among countries of the Global South. It is hoped that this publication will both illustrate and stimulate SSTC activities in order to accelerate inclusive and sustainable rural development and progress towards the SDGs. Gilbert F. Houngbo President of IFAD 5 Acknowledgements This publication was prepared under the leadership of Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director of IFAD’s Global Engagement, Knowledge and Strategy Division