Vatican City, Feb 20, 2009 / 09:39 am
Today the Holy Father praised members of the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for their efforts in reducing poverty in rural areas of the world. He told the organization, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, that love must be the primary motivator in the war against poverty.
Expressing his thanks for IFAD’s 30 years of work, Pope Benedict said that it is especially important in the face of great “instability in the prices of agricultural products.” He specifically noted one of the group’s endeavors called the “rural credit” project which helps smallholder farmers with no land of their own. Projects such as these, the Pope noted “can boost the wider economy and provide greater food security for all.”