From Latin America, across Africa and the Middle East, all the way to the Pacific Islands – poor rural communities and small rural producers are up against a mammoth combination of crisis factors, including the effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine, a lingering pandemic, climate change, inflation and financial, social or political fragility.

The costs of food, fertilizer and fuel have surged dramatically against a backdrop of converging crises, including conflict and displacement.  

Although food price pressures eased up during the summer with the resumption of shipments of grain from Ukraine, not everyone breathed a sigh of relief. In many countries, food prices remained higher than the same time last year, while in poor rural communities, the unwavering high cost of inputs, such as fertilizer, and transport continues to threaten livelihoods and food systems.

As part of IFAD's ongoing efforts to build rural people's resilience to shocks, the Crisis Response Initiative was set up to meet increased needs of vulnerable communities, protect the livelihoods of small-scale producers and preserve development gains.