In 2025, IIRR partnered with rural communities across Africa and Asia to advance food security, economic opportunity, environmental resilience, education, and health. At the heart of this work was a simple but powerful commitment: recognizing women not merely as participants in development, but as producers, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, and leaders shaping the future of their communities.
Across these regions, IIRR’s community-led approach helped farmers, entrepreneurs, students, caregivers, local leaders, and community organizations build practical skills, strengthen livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and create more resilient food systems. From women-led enterprises and aquaculture value chains to urban gardens, youth leadership, landscape restoration, and inclusive governance, the year’s results demonstrate how locally owned and inclusive solutions can generate lasting change.
The 2025 Impact Report, “From Excluded to Essential,” explores ten dimensions of this transformation—from women’s leadership and access to finance to nutrition, environmental stewardship, governance, and the next generation of rural leaders. Together, these stories show that when women and communities have the resources, skills, voice, and opportunities to lead, they do more than overcome barriers: they strengthen food systems, economies, families, and the environments on which rural communities depend.
In 2025, IIRR maintained a strong financial position while continuing to prioritize resources for direct community impact. The organization generated $16.2 million in total revenue with annual spending of $7.7 million. From this, 91 cents of every dollar went directly to program services, reflecting IIRR’s commitment to efficient stewardship of resources and investment in lasting change for rural communities.
The lessons of 2025 reinforce IIRR’s commitment to community ownership, practical capacity building, adaptive management, strong partnerships, financial inclusion, evidence-based learning, and locally led solutions. As IIRR begins a new five-year strategy in 2026, it will deepen its community relationships, expand opportunities for rural enterprise, treat ecological restoration as an investment in rural economies, and share its knowledge and participatory approach with practitioners worldwide.
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