'The Field Report' is the first ever investment report carved into the land, the fabric of agriculture.

Each chart is based upon compelling and persuasive data insights, that help us make the case for invesment:

1. Africa has 25% of the world’s arable land – but only 10% of its agricultural output, showing the extraordinary potential that lies in Africa, which investment can unlock

2. Rural to urban migration – more and more young people are moving away from the land that can feed us all. Investment will give them reason to stay.

3. Projections of the world’s population – we will have more mouths to feed than ever before. Investment will help us meet the growing demand.

4. In Sub-Saharan Africa, economic growth from agriculture is 11 times more effective at reducing poverty than growth from other sectors – so investment in agriculture offers an exceptional return

The Field Report was turned into one minute PSA film, a press ad detailing the key stats and an interactive data visualisation on IFAD's website where you can explore the Field Report and the data behind it further.

From July 2017, the execution plan was two-pronged. We looked to secure the use of pro-bono placement of our creative assets in global media. While also selling in the news story about the creation of Field Report along with the statistical insights it reveals.

We focussed on touch-points that would directly influence our target audience: through broadcasting the data visualisation at high-level policy events – even targeting the very airport departure gates where government. And we reached a broader public audience by securing pro bono placements on TV broadcast, print and digital news publishers and social media channels.

Relying entirely on earned media, the Field Report made the issue of Agriculture Investment a global one, reaching a billion people, with 8.5 thousand earned mentions on social media.

Without a paid budget, the campaign assets were broadcast to policy makers at multiple high level meetings, including World Food Day and The Committee on World Food Security. And to the public via TV and press, with France24 donating almost a million euros in media and many other broadcasters following suit – from Newsweek to Fast Company.

To date, six of the nine countries targeted through the Field Report campaign increased (or are expected to increase) their pledges, with a replenishment target that supports a US$3.5 billion programme of loans and grants.

The funding will enable IFAD to expand operations, helping 47 million smallholder farmers increase their production through access to technology, finance and knowledge.

This will reduce poverty and hunger for millions of rural people in developing countries around the world. An estimated 24 million people will be enabled to develop greater resilience to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, 12 million people will see improvement in their nutrition, and 44 million people will experience better economic status.

Making compelling data impossible to ignore, The Field Report was a message from the famers of Kasama, Zambia, to governmental policy makers around the world.

This was the first Investment Report carved into the land, the fabric of agriculture. The message reached a billion people, helping push the issue up the public agenda by securing pro bono TV, print, outdoor and online media donations alongside coverage across global news media, without paid media budget.

So far, six of the nine countries targeted through the Field Report have increased their funding, helping a predicted 47 million smallholder farmers increase their production.

There was much recent data on the value of investing in agricultural communities, but it had never put together in a compelling way - much of it was buried within dense reports. So first we gathered and interpreting the very latest and most compelling data, statistics and forecasts on the issue available via sources including the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, McKinsey, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

With all these data, a persuasive argument soon became clear: given the world's rapidly expanding population and the potential of countries such as Africa to dramatically increase yields, Agricultural communities could be the world’s most vital investment. We needed to target busy policy makers with our compelling facts. But these influential people are inundated with financial data and reports every day. So we would need to communicate the statistics in a way that's both easy to understand - and impossible to ignore.

Population growth shows no sign of slowing down. By 2050 there will be more than 9 billion people living on Earth – 2 billion more mouths to feed than there are today. Add to that a number of global crises, including famine and displacement which are stretching the world’s resources. Smart governmental investments in sectors and programs that will alleviate global poverty and hunger are more critical than ever before.

So IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) had a clear and urgent brief: put investment in agriculture higher up policy makers’ agendas.

We needed to raise awareness about the vital importance of agriculture by directly targeting high-level policy makers and government donors, while securing global broadcast media to push the issue higher up the public agenda.