Invest in small farmers or world will face regular food crises, says UN agency chief

Billions needed for water and soil conservation to boost resilience in small farms, says new head of UN's agricultural financing arm

In his first week in the job, the new head of the UN's agricultural finance fund admits he has no small task ahead. Alvaro Lario takes up the role as head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development amid a global food crisis, which he warned could become a regular occurrence.

Lario wants the IFAD to focus on investing in the resilience of small-scale farmers so they can produce food for themselves and are not left at the mercy of external shocks.