Rural communities are not remnants of the past; they are the foundation of our future.
His words remind us that real progress begins from the ground up. In a world facing economic uncertainty, climate risks, and social divides, rural communities hold the key to food security, environmental balance, and global peace. Supporting them is not only the right thing to do, it is a smart and strategic investment in our shared future.
Why Rural Development Matters
Across the world, eight out of ten people living in poverty are in rural areas. Yet these regions also hold enormous potential. Investing in rural communities means more food security, fairer economies, and greater climate resilience.
IFAD’s work shows what this can look like in practice. In Senegal, one of its programmes helped 10,000 young people return to rural life, earning up to seven times the national minimum wage. When people have access to opportunities close to home, they choose to stay, build businesses, and strengthen local communities.
As IFAD President Álvaro Lario noted, “the future of development finance lies in smart partnerships that combine public and private resources.” This thinking also guides many initiatives in Europe that seek to connect innovation with inclusion, including the FUTURAL Project.
FUTURAL: Bringing Global Vision to Life in Rural Europe
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, FUTURAL contributes to the same vision of resilience and opportunity for rural territories.
Through its Multi-Actor Pilots (MAPs), FUTURAL brings together rural communities and technology providers to design and test new solutions that respond to local needs. From Amorebieta-Etxano (Spain) and Kythera (Greece) to România (Birba) and beyond, these MAPs serve as collaboration hubs where new ideas take root and communities shape their own paths toward sustainability.
These efforts focus on smart solutions tailored to rural communities’ needs, addressing key areas: climate adaptation and mitigation, circular bioeconomy and ecosystem management, resilience to shocks, lifelong education and training, and citizen engagement and quality of life.
Each MAP focuses on practical local actions, improving farming through digital tools, supporting circular economy models, or developing new community services. Together, they show that effective solutions emerge when the people who understand rural challenges are also the ones driving change.
From Vision to Action: Investing in Local Innovation
Like IFAD, FUTURAL recognises that lasting change in rural areas grows through partnerships, creativity, and shared ownership. Through its APEL DESCHIS, the project supports ten sub-projects that are helping build stronger rural economies and greener growth models.
Each initiative demonstrates how innovation can complement tradition, strengthening resilience while respecting local identity and community values.
One Shared Goal
At the UN, IFAD called on governments to view rural development as an investment in peace and stability. In Europe, FUTURAL contributes to that same vision by supporting innovation and collaboration across rural regions.
Both highlight a shared truth: rural communities are not the past, they are the foundation of our shared future. When people in rural areas have the means and confidence to shape their own development, the entire world becomes more stable, secure, and sustainable.
Source
IFAD (2025). “Thriving rural communities are foundation of global security.”
RO 
EN 
FR 
DE 
IT 
EL 
LT 
NL 
ES