Iram

What Iram does

IRAM (Institut de recherche et d'applications des méthodes de développement) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1957 in Morocco and now headquartered in Paris, with a second office in Montpellier. The organization operates as an associative bureau d'études — an expert consulting firm embedded in the international solidarity sector — providing independent research, evaluation, and advisory services to development finance institutions, governments, and producer organizations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

IRAM's service portfolio spans diagnostics and feasibility studies, development action design, methodological support, monitoring-evaluation systems, project evaluations, capitalization, training, seminars, and network animation. Domain expertise covers agricultural value chains, rural activity systems, microfinance, irrigated agriculture, pastoralism, environment and climate, food security, gender, agricultural policy, and local development. The organization is also a co-developer of GesSICa©, a content management system built with Terre Nourricière for creating project capitalization websites.

Revenue mechanics are project-based: IRAM competes for and delivers contracts primarily funded by institutional donors (Agence Française de Développement, European Union, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs), with implementation through consortia that include peer organizations (GRET, AVSF, CIRAD, AgroParisTech, AgriCord) and local partners in the Global South. The organization is a member of multiple French NGO coalitions (Groupe initiatives, Coordination SUD, F3E, CERISE Microfinance, Inter-réseaux Développement rural) and is governed by its members rather than external shareholders, with no disclosed ownership or investor base.

Name

Iram

Legal name

Institut de recherche et d'applications des méthodes de développement

Website

https://iram-fr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IRAM is a French non-profit research and consulting organization providing independent expertise in international development, agriculture, rural systems, pastoralism, microfinance, and food security to institutional donors, governments, and producer organizations across 40+ countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Consulting Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• International development consulting
• Rural development research
• Agricultural policy studies
• Monitoring and evaluation services
• Food security expertise

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRAM is a non-profit associative studies office (bureau d'études associatif) that provides independent professional expertise in international development. It delivers diagnostics, feasibility studies, development actions, methodological support, monitoring-evaluation systems, project evaluations, capitalization, training, seminars, and network animation for institutional clients across Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean/Middle East, with thematic focus on rural development, agricultural value chains, pastoralism, microfinance, food security, gender, and natural resource management.

Product overview

Iram is a non-profit development research organization (bureau d'études associatif) founded in 1957, providing independent expertise in international development. Rather than a unified software product, Iram offers professional services including evaluations, studies, training, and research dissemination. Its primary 'product' is expert consulting and knowledge services in development sectors including agriculture, pastoralism, microfinance, local development, and food security. Iram also developed GesSICa©, an internal tool for project information management and capitalization, used for its own projects and potentially offered to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diagnostics and feasibility studies Diagnostic assessments and feasibility studies for development projects, provided to institutional clients including donors, governments, and development organizations operating in rural development, agricultural value chains, and related sectors.
• Development actions Implementation of field-level development actions in support of international cooperation programmes, addressing rural development, agricultural systems, and capacity building in partner countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean region.
• Methodological support and advice Advisory and methodological support services for development projects and programmes, providing expert guidance on approaches, frameworks, and tools to institutional clients and partner organizations.
• Monitoring-evaluation systems Design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for development interventions, providing institutional clients with structured approaches to track outcomes, outputs, and impacts of projects and programmes.
• Project evaluations Independent ex-ante, mid-term, and ex-post evaluations of development projects, including written and filmed evaluation deliverables, delivered to donors, governments, and implementing organizations.
• Capitalization services Knowledge capitalization services that document, valorize, and disseminate lessons from development projects and thematic processes, often delivered through dedicated websites and publications.
• Training Capacity-building training programmes for development professionals, producer organizations, and institutional partners on topics related to IRAM's areas of expertise including rural development, microfinance, pastoralism, and food security.
• Seminars and colloquia Organization of themed seminars and study days (journées d'études) bringing together development partners from North and South, researchers, and donors around issues in IRAM's field of expertise.
• Network animation Coordination and animation of professional networks in development sectors, including rural development networks, inter-NGO coalitions, and thematic communities of practice.
• GesSICa© Gestion de Systèmes d'Information et de Capitalisation - a content management system developed jointly by IRAM and Terre Nourricière for creating dedicated websites to monitor and valorize capitalization results from development projects or thematic processes; sites are accessible online and/or via USB key.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Concordis InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership within Borderlands-Afrique Centrale programme funded by EU Delegation, focusing on conflict prevention in border areas of CAR, Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan related to pastoralism and natural resource governance.
• CIVIPOLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in Borderlands-Afrique Centrale programme addressing peace, pastoralism, and conservation challenges in Central Africa.
• FSD (Fondation suisse de déminage)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in Borderlands-Afrique Centrale programme addressing peace, pastoralism, and conservation challenges.
• GIST ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IRAM/GIST Research consortium for studies on transhumance dynamics and impact on peace-pastoralism-conservation nexus in Central Africa.
• AgriCordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated the SEPOP project (Services and Plaidoyer des Organisations Paysannes) 2020-2025, strengthening capacities of producer organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
• CIRADmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized conference-debate on pastoralism's role in food systems transition with IRAM participation in February 2026.
• AgroParisTechmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for publication on agroecological transition and food systems in French Polynesia, conducting agrarian diagnostics.
• AVSF (Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ASIrri project (Appui aux Irrigants et aux Services aux Irrigants) in Haiti, Cambodia, and Mali.
• GRETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ASIrri project and Cambodia component of the initiative. Joint consortium member for international development projects.
• Faranfasi socoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ASIrri Mali component, focusing on farmer-led approach to support irrigators in Office du Niger zone.
• CEDACcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for ASIrri Cambodia component.
• CUDES/CROSEcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partners for ASIrri Haiti component, working with irrigation farmer associations.
• FONHADIcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHaitian Foundation for Irrigation, implementing partner in Haiti for irrigation sector development.
• COTAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted external final evaluation of ASIrri project.
• Terre NourricièrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed GesSICa© system with IRAM for project documentation and capitalization websites.
• Groupe initiativesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRAM is a member of Groupe initiatives, a collective of international solidarity associations publishing the Traverses review.
• Inter-réseaux Développement ruralmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner for rural development, collaborating on bulletins and publications.
• Coordination SUDmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRAM is a member of Coordination SUD, French coalition of NGOs for international solidarity.
• F3EminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization focused on evaluation and cooperation.
• CERISE MicrofinanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization specializing in microfinance.
• SFEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization in the network.
• KarthalamajorOthersPublisher of IRAM's collective works including 'La Fabrique des politiques publiques en Afrique' and 'Transition agroécologique et systèmes alimentaires en Polynésie'.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CIRAD: CIRAD is the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions. It is a broader, larger public-research incumbent with overlapping themes (pastoralism, agroecology, value chains) and is an IRAM co-organizer of the 2026 pastoralism debate.
• Coordination SUD: Coordination SUD is the French national coordination platform for international solidarity NGOs; IRAM is a member. Operates as a broader coalition representative across development themes rather than a direct competitor, but functions as a peer in the French development NGO ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Groupe initiatives: Groupe initiatives is a French collective of international solidarity associations publishing the Traverses review, of which IRAM is a member. Comparable as a peer in the French development NGO consortium space.
• AgriCord: AgriCord is an alliance of agri-agencies supporting farmer organizations in developing countries; IRAM coordinated the SEPOP project with AgriCord. Highly comparable in producer-organization capacity-building services across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
• GRET: GRET is a French non-profit development research and consulting organization with overlapping expertise in rural development, agriculture, microfinance, and food security. Like IRAM, it operates internationally with a salaried multidisciplinary team and works with AFD and EU donors; they have actually partnered on the ASIrri project.
• Inter-réseaux Développement rural: Inter-réseaux is a French network specialized in rural development information and bulletins, with overlapping themes (agricultural policies, food security, value chains). IRAM is a member and active publishing partner.
• F3E: F3E is a French network of NGOs focused on evaluation practices in international solidarity; IRAM is a member. Comparable in evaluation, monitoring, and methodological-support services to development organizations.
• AVSF (Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières): AVSF is a French NGO specialized in livestock, pastoralism, irrigated agriculture, and rural development in developing countries. Highly comparable to IRAM in size, mission, geographic footprint, and donor base; an explicit ASIrri consortium partner.
• Concordis International: Concordis is a UK-registered NGO working on conflict prevention and peacebuilding, particularly in pastoralist and cross-border contexts in Central Africa. Direct partner with IRAM in the EU-funded Borderlands-Afrique Centrale programme.
• CERISE Microfinance: CERISE is a French non-profit focused on social performance and impact measurement in microfinance. IRAM is a member organization and they share overlap in microfinance and inclusive finance expertise delivered to developing-country institutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubedailymotion.com/IRAM_Developpement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iram_2
• Facebookfacebook.com/100066681515704

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iram