TCI 50 web release -1964-2014 FAO Investment Centre - 50 years of development support
In a new book celebrating the Investment Centre's 50-year milestone, FAO looks back on five decades of support to investment in agriculture and rural development. Featuring personal reminiscences and photos, this is a lively account of the Investment Centre’s evolution - from how it came to be, to what it is now and where it hopes to go in the future. It also reveals the shifting landscape of development practice.
For 50 years, FAO has been at the forefront of responding to countries' investment needs, recognizing early on that investing in agriculture and rural development transforms lives by stimulating economic growth and reducing poverty. Working with partners, the Investment Centre has assisted countries in increasing such investment, both public and private, and making it more effective in the fight against poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
Since 1964, it has helped 170 countries design more than 2,000 investment projects and programmes, valued at more than USD 116 billion.
Over the years, the Centre has kept pace with a rapidly changing world, adapting to new, often challenging, circumstances, while maintaining its technical rigour and integrity. It has remained dynamic, relevant and innovative - it was FAO's first multidisciplinary unit, the first to work through cooperative agreements with international financing institutions. And it has expanded and diversified its team and services, strengthening its expertise in new areas to meet new development challenges head on.
As the book points out, the challenges in the coming years are significant - from ensuring the world's growing population has enough safe and nutritious food to eat, to reducing poverty, especially in rural areas, to sustainably managing the earth's natural resources and adapting to climate change.
But the Centre has built a solid foundation and reputation. It will continue to rely on its staff - committed, experienced professionals with technical expertise across a wide range of disciplines - to provide high-quality investment support services, including policy support and national capacity building. And it will continue to focus on producing results that contribute to improving food security and nutrition, raising rural incomes and safeguarding the natural environment for generations to come.
Whether you're an investment specialist or interested in learning from experiences in agriculture and rural development, we invite you to read about the Investment Centre's 50-year journey and beyond.