Small-scale farmers, especially the female ones, are vital to the future of China's food security and poverty reduction. That's according to the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

"In China, Africa and other parts of the developing world, the smallholder producers produce 80 percent of food that is consumed by 80 percent of the (world) population," IFAD President Kanayo Nwanze told China Daily last week.

"Women in the developing world carry out most of the agricultural activities. In Africa, for example, 60 to 80 percent of the activities from planting to marketing are done by women. The studies have shown that women are better managers. When the women are empowered, the communities are empowered," he said.

As one of the world's major three Rome-based agricultural United Nations agencies, IFAD was established in 1977. The group provides financial assistance to agricultural development projects primarily for food production in developing countries.

The organization started to work in China in 1981 and has since investment of $560 million into 23 projects. Most of the group's work has taken place in the remote and mountainous areas of western regions of China, such as Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.

Reporter: Qin Zhongwei

Video: Lou Yi

Videographer: Lou Yi & Cong Ruiting

Photographer: Wu Chuanjing

Producer: Flora Yue