18 Sep 2013

Taxpayers give rural poor $1.5m

6:43 am on 18 September 2013

The Government says that it will give $1.5 million in aid to an organisation that helps poor rural people around the world to overcome poverty.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development is an agency of the United Nations.

It works in the developing world, to help rural communities help themselves by improving their agricultural systems - and helping them connect with markets.

Ron Hartman is IFAD's programme manager in Asia and the Pacific.

He says it provides funding and advice to help rural communities become financially self-sustainable.

In announcing the aid, the Government said IFAD was a good fit with New Zealand's development objectives of supporting sustainable economic development to lift communities out of poverty - and well aligned with our focus on agriculture.