Income Generating Activities and Funding represents the third priority topic as demonstrated by the Knowledge and Information Needs Assessment Study. This theme is justified by the fact that an increasing number of IFAD-funded projects in the region target the most vulnerable groups in the rural areas (resource-poor farmers, youth and rural women) through the promotion of a set of activities that are well-fit to the conditions of the targeted beneficiaries and which can generate cash income in a relatively short time.

One of the mechanisms that was developed during the last years by most IFAD-funded projects in the region is the promotion of Income Generating Activities – sorts of Micro-projects or Micro-enterprises – through capacity-building, technical assistance, and setup of micro-credit schemes.

This is why KariaNet seeks always to encourage knowledge exchange between its members on this topic. One of the most important activities KariaNet implemented under this topic is the organisation of the 2nd Annual Thematic Workshop in Amman, Jordan (18-21 September 2006), which brought in the different success stories of the member projects on Micro-credit, Income Generating Activities and Rural Women.