Preparing Farmers for the battle against Climate Change

Lennart Bage, the President of the United Nations' International Fund for Agricultural Development, recently announced that the organization will spend $100 million in US dollars over the next five years to help farmers in Vietnam overcome the adverse effects of climate change.

The program will focus on improving the rural-investment environment, while developing rural businesses and expanding market access for the poor.

"The challenge is to define a comprehensive strategy. We have to know what the most important thing is to do first, what brings the most efficiency in cost/benefit as resources are limited," Bage said, adding that money needed to be spent on improving infrastructure, such as dams, roads and dykes.

Since 1993, IFAD has given Vietnam loans totalling to $163 million.