In Colombia, IFAD loans and grants support two main objectives:

• Support smallscale farmers and rural entrepreneurs to increase their productivity and income through the improvement of their assets, their association capacity and their access to markets and inclusive financial services.
• Strengthen the institutional and legal framework at the territorial level to foster the implementation of the agenda for rural development and peace agreements. IFAD interventions take place in prioritized territories within the government’s postconflict strategy.

This programme aims to tackle problems of inequality and poverty in rural areas, and to promote equal access to basic services, including rural financial services. Its target group is composed of approximately 50,000 rural households living in extreme poverty across 17 departments in Colombia. Among these are small farmers, indigenous groups, Afrodescendant communities, rural young people, families who have been forcibly displaced and female-headed households. The overall goal of the programme is to improve living conditions, income and employment in post-conflict rural areas.