The Government of India, in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, has launched a new eight-year Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for 2026–2033 aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods, improving resilience, and expanding sustainable income opportunities across the country.

The announcement was made during the IFAD–India Partnership for Rural Prosperity event held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, attended by senior government officials, IFAD representatives, development partners, and private sector stakeholders.

Aligned with the government’s Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, the new strategy focuses on two key priorities — enhancing the social, economic and climate resilience of rural communities, and strengthening knowledge systems to scale successful development models within India and across countries in the Global South.

Anuradha Thakur, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance, said the India-IFAD partnership has consistently supported national priorities such as agricultural transformation, livelihood diversification, women’s empowerment and institutional strengthening. She noted that the partnership has gradually evolved from focusing on poverty alleviation to building sustainable and market-oriented rural livelihoods capable of withstanding economic and climate-related challenges.

Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President at IFAD, highlighted the long-term value of the collaboration, stating that the partnership is helping create integrated systems that connect institutions, finance, infrastructure and markets for lasting rural development outcomes.

The COSOP places significant emphasis on strengthening grassroots institutions including Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives to improve access to finance, technology, infrastructure and markets.

Over the past two decades, IFAD-backed programmes in India have contributed to women’s financial inclusion through SHGs, improved farmers’ market access through infrastructure support, and promoted women-led enterprises via value addition and e-commerce integration.

The new strategy also seeks to position India as a global knowledge hub in rural development by sharing successful models related to inclusive rural finance, digital agriculture, cooperative governance and climate-resilient value chains with countries across Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

On the sidelines of the event, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and IFAD signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at strengthening rural finance systems and promoting innovation in agriculture and allied sectors.

India and IFAD have collaborated for nearly five decades, implementing 35 rural development projects across multiple states and supporting millions of rural households through inclusive growth initiatives.