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This book dives into the achievements, opportunities, risks and dangers of ICT in the rural Global South, and takes a look at the likely future.Drawing on years of experience across 45 counties, as well as extensive original academic research, Willem van Eekelen situates the evolving role of ICT in wider development patterns in the Global South. He discusses the effects of ICT on agriculture, trade, financial flows, resource management and governmental performance. He then considers the associated risks of financial insecurity, online gambling, exclusion, misinformation and the effects of ICT on people's freedom. The book concludes with six recommendations to maximise the usefulness of rural ICT investments and minimise the risk of them causing harm.This engaging and authoritative account of ICT and rural development will help students, academics, governmental policymakers, donors and investors wishing to support socio-economic development in the Global South.

This book tells the story of development studies in practice over the last fifty years through the work of one remarkable individual, Robert Chambers. His work has taken him from being a colonial officer in Kenya through training and managing large rural development projects to a fundamental critique of top-down development and the championing of participatory approaches. The contributors eloquently demonstrate how he has been at the centre of major shifts in development thinking and practice over this period, popularising terms that are now at the centre of the development lexicon such as vulnerability, multi-dimensional poverty, sustainable livelihoods and'farmer first'. Robert Chambers played a major role in the massive growth in participatory approaches to development, and particularly the application of participatory methods in development research and appraisal. This has led to fundamental challenges to development practice, ranging from approaches to monitoring and evaluation to institutional learning and professional training. There is probably no-one who has had more influence on approaches to development in the past decades. Revolutionizing Development offers a unique overview of these contributions in thirty-two concise chapters from authors who have been intimately involved as collaborators, critics and colleagues of Robert Chambers.

Though entrepreneurship has been studied for decades, in recent years, the study of “rural entrepreneurship” has emerged as an upcoming subtopic of the area. With the growth and continual ease of utilizing digital technologies to support entrepreneurial activities, these technologies now provide unique opportunities for advancing rural entrepreneurship. Though prior research focused on challenges for IT use in rural areas that specifically investigated investment and management issues, it is important to study all challenges and opportunities involved in this developing area of research. Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Digital Era is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the utilization of digital technologies in rural business ventures. Unlike other references, this book studies the conceptualization process of rural entrepreneurship and innovation with the intention of providing guidelines and support for entrepreneurs. While highlighting topics such as microfinancing, risk management, and rural development, this publication explores innovative practices as well as the methods of IT investment and management. This book is ideally designed for business professionals, entrepreneurs, business researchers, academics, and business students.

Rural Development in Practice focuses on the evolving nature of rural development in the Global South. It outlines how we got to where we are today, checks what we can learn from history, and explores the development drivers, facilitators, and obstacles most likely to shape the years ahead.The book covers the management of fishing grounds, forests, grazing lands, water sources and soil, and looks at the effects of infrastructure, trade mechanisms, and new crop varieties on farming. The author discusses the opportunities and challenges of microfinance, social safety nets and migration, and assesses the way ICT and climate change are changing everything, rapidly. Real-life examples, exercises, role-plays, textboxes, anecdotes, and illustrative artwork are used to bring concepts and theories to life, and every chapter concludes with a section that explores how best to tackle the tough and complex dilemmas of our time.Rural Development in Practice is essential reading for students at all levels and may be of benefit for programme and policy staff in rural-focused government departments, multilateral agencies, and non-government organisations.

This book explores the effects of macro-policies and determines which policies have best promoted appropriate technology in developing countries. It explores the political economy of macro-policies, examining which groups in society are likely to benefit from alternative policies and technologies.

This book reflects a large number of intellectual debts that I owe to friends and colleagues. The concepts and methods described here were developed and tested in field projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development. Eric Chetwynd, Jr., played a central role in the Urban Functions in Rural Development (UFRD) projects on which the book is based. Without his advocacy, interest and support for nearly a decade, the projects could not have been undertaken.

For the half of the world's population still dependent on wood and other traditional fuels for basic cooking and heating needs, a serious supply crisis is emerging: forests are disappearing and population pressure on other energy sources is mounting. This book analyzes the energy problems of those caught in the trap of rural subsistence and explores the role energy might play in the transition away from subsistence. It includes eight specially commissioned studies of different developing countries and a review of the small-scale energy technologies presently available for rural use.

Development specialists often overlook the feet that the towns of a rural region play as essential a role in the region's economy as does agriculture, and they design and implement broad strategies without due recognition of the unique and dynamic character of each individual region. Proper analysis requires consideration of the changing nature of rural regions and the principal agents of change. The contributors to this volume argue that development strategists should focus on processes rather than on products by taking the nonfarm aspects, as well as the farm aspects, of rural development into account and by recognizing that land, labor, water, and technology do not alone lead to balanced regional and agricultural development. The analytical approaches presented in this book incorporate wide-ranging variables from the urban space of rural regions—markets, towns, service industries, and organizations—that have major impacts on the rural regional economy. These methodologies aim at improving rural regional development processes.

This book discusses the causes and effects of crisis and conflict within an agricultural and rural context. It explores issues such as competition over resources, and looks at how crisis and conflict impact upon developing country agriculture for both the physical and human agricultural landscape. It reviews crises stemming from politically-driven violence, natural disasters and climate change. Exploring the relationship between agriculture and conflicts and crises before, during and after crisis periods, this book: - Evaluates controversial issues such as land-grabs and the growing of illegal crops; - Covers methodological approaches including GIS-based studies, ethnographic studies and the blending of methods; - Includes numerous case studies on developing countries within Asia, Latin America, Middle East-North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Providing detailed knowledge about the interactions of agriculture, conflict and crisis, this book aims to inform future policymaking for reconstruction and to foster resilience in the agricultural sector. An important resource for researchers of agricultural economics, development studies, sustainable agriculture and food security, it is also an illuminating read for students of these disciplines and agricultural extension workers.

First published in 1999, this volume explores the nature of poverty and interprets it across a range of policy reforms and project interventions in different geographical settings. It is the culmination of a cooperative effort between development academics and professionals from diverse national and disciplinary backgrounds, who came together for two events: 1) The Development Study Association's Rural Development Study Group Symposium on the theme of the book's title, hosted by the Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme at the University of Manchester's Institute for Development Policy and Management. 2) The Commonwealth Secretariat's Regional Workshop for East and Central Africa on Strategies for Poverty Reduction. The volume is underpinned by the conviction that it is morally and ethically repugnant that over 1.3 billion people live in conditions of endemic hunger and poverty while the wealth of a minority continues to increase exponentially. The authors offer wide ranging analysis of some of the causes of this situation, and of the efforts being made to eliminate or alleviate absolute poverty.

Microfinance is a broad variety of services, such as microcredit, for entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to banking and other financial services. As many smaller businesses and entrepreneurs may not be able to secure credit services, many microfinance promoters believe that it encourages entrepreneurial activities and inclusive growth. Microfinance and Its Impact on Entrepreneurial Development, Sustainability, and Inclusive Growth is an essential resource that empirically explores the role of microfinance in entrepreneurship development and the operational sustainability of microfinance institutions. It also highlights the impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship development in different countries and regions. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as risk management, women entrepreneurship, and strategic management, this book provides essential research for entrepreneurs, business managers, policy makers, researchers in the field of finance, and business professionals seeking relevant research on microfinance systems.

Democratic rural organizations can play an important role in helping their members, who are frequently poor farmers living in the margins of the economy, to escape their disadvantaged starting point and to gain access to financial services, political influence and profitable markets for their product. Democratic Rural Organizations: Thresholds for Evolution in Africa and Asia traces the evolution of democratic rural organizations from small groups to larger, NGO financed, multi-tier democratic rural organizations in recent years.Rural citizens have historically formed democratic organizations by their own initiative, to enhance economic and social wellbeing, but in recent years rural mobilization processes are frequently initiated and supported by national Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), who are financed and guided by international NGOs, a process which has had mixed results. Using rich empirical material from Uganda, India, Bangladesh and Cambodia, Democratic Rural Organizations: Thresholds for Evolution in Africa and Asia identifies eight thresholds which represent practical stages in the development pathway of democratic rural organizations and influence success or failure.Both development practitioners and researchers of development and rural policy will find this book a useful guide to the deployment of democratic organization as a strategy for economic and political empowerment.

Rapid structural transformation and urbanization are transforming agriculture and food production in rural areas across the world. This textbook provides a comprehensive review and assessment of the multi-faceted nature of agriculture and rural development, particularly in the developing world, where the greatest challenges occur. It is designed around five thematic parts: Agricultural Intensification and Technical Change; Political Economy of Agricultural Policies; Community and Rural Institutions; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health; and Future Relevance of International Institutions. Each chapter presents a detailed but accessible review of the literature on the specific topic and discusses the frontiers in research and institutional changes needed as societies adapt to the transformation processes. All authors are eminent scholars with international reputations, who have been actively engaged in the contemporary debates around agricultural development and rural transformation.

First published in 1984. It is widely acknowledged that rural-urban differences and interrelationships play an important role in the development process. Some theorists believe they are a primary cause of continuing poverty in poor nations. This volume of essays summarises and appraises theories of rural-urban relations and economic development and explores, mainly on the basis of country case studies, the conceptual and theoretical problems to which they give rise, and the extent to which they correspond to recent experiences in the Third World.

Sur quelles ressources se fonde le développement d'un territoire? Qu'est-ce qu'une gestion territoriale des ressources? Quelles spécificités et opportunités présente l'organisation territoriale pour la production agricole, la régulation des filières, les services? Comment se conçoivent et s'appliquent des politiques publiques territoriales? Mais également, quelles sont les limites de l'approche territoriale? En quoi la prise en compte des territoires rénove-t-elle les cadres d'intervention du développement? Comment se mettent en œuvre et se réinventent les dispositifs d'accompagnement, de construction de compétences, d'appui à la production ou de gouvernance, les systèmes d'information et d'appréhension des dynamiques territoriales, la planification décentralisée?A travers diverses études, l'ouvrage évoque la façon dont acteurs, échelles et périmètres d'intervention, dispositifs interagissent pour le développement des espaces ruraux dans les pays du Sud, tant à l'échelle locale que dans la perspective globale des objectifs du développement durable.L'ouvrage regroupe les expériences et points de vue de plus de 150 chercheurs et experts du Cirad, de l'AFD ou de leurs partenaires. Il s'adresse autant aux chercheurs, aux ingénieurs, aux professionnels dans les pays du Sud, qu'aux étudiants et au grand public averti. The English version of this book, Living territories to transform the world, is available on our website.La version anglaise de ce titre, Living territories to transform the world, est disponible sur notre site.

This book meets the needs of teachers and students of agriculture and rural development project and programme planning, planners employed by governments in developing countries and by external financing agencies. Project planners must understand the aspirations of rural families and their local leaders, the national development and sector planning goals and policies of their governments and the development goals and policy priorities perceived by external financing agencies in relation to their countries. These areas are not always consistent and trade-offs may be required. However it is recognised that poor project planning is a major constraint to the sustainable realization of project and programme objectives and sector goals. Illustrated with case studies and logical framework matrices, this book presents well-established and relatively new practices followed in the context of agriculture and rural development project and programme planning. Although based on experiences gained in Africa, the issues described are relevant to planning problems encountered in other developing regions of the world. It addresses the main factors which affect the success of planning such as a government's ability to guarantee macro-economic stability and sound sector development policies; the shift from'top-down', bureaucratic to'bottom-up', participatory planning approaches and the roles played by external financing agencies. It explains key technical, financial, economic, environmental, socio-cultural, equity, gender and institutional-strengthening issues concerning planning in rural areas and reviews the planning tools and approaches available. The procurement of goods and services, the disbursement of funds and monitoring and evaluation requirements are examined in detail.

Friedmann perceives a global crisis which he traces to the dissolution of territorial relations. This he believes results from penetration of the global system of markets into the remotest corners of the world, undermining tradition cultures and ways of life. The consequence is incipient breakdown, he asserts, and we need to repoliticize space and subordinate the power of capital to the collective will of people organized to work toward common ends. This deliberately provocative collection of essays includes an autobiographical fragment providing contextual information about the author.

Microfinance began as the disbursement of tiny loans to the poor, which they could use to undertake informal income-generating activities. It went on to become one of the most popular international development policies of all time and a mainstay of local development and antipoverty programs across the Global South. The contributors to this multidisciplinary volume consider the origins, evolution, and outcomes of microfinance from a variety of perspectives and contend that it has been an unsuccessful approach to development. The contributors contend that over the last twenty years, microfinance policies have exacerbated poverty and exclusion, undermined gender empowerment, underpinned a massive growth in inequality, destroyed solidarity and trust in the community, and, overall, manifestly weakened those local economies of the Global South where it reached critical mass. They use qualitative anthropological, economic, and political-economic research to unpack the ideas and values that have allowed microfinance to “seduce” the world and blind so many to its corrosive effects.

Developing countries are suffering from the multiple and overlapping problems of poverty, malnutrition, excessive population growth and also the increased environmental pollution due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, particularly in the existing urban centres. The migration from rural areas of agricultural population to urban areas is making this situation more problematic. The lack of established institutions leads to the failure of public policy no matter how efficiently it is formulated. The book discusses the major regional developmental problems in poor countries, covering economic, social and environmental problems. It deals with case-studies for a set of individual countries, and discusses their unique problems, investigating how the established methods of regional science can be used to solve some of these problems.

This book fills a gap between theory and practice in the field of the rural communities'research. The book consists of fourteen chapters which analyze specific aspects and suggest possible solutions regarding rural communities in the global economy, insisting on the recent transformations of the classical rural economy paradigms in contemporary economies. The main topics of the book are centered but not limited to the following aspects: -Recent transformations of the rural communities -Rural paradigm agricultural and food models -Rural sustainable investments -Consumption models -Business investments strategies in rural areas -Transition economics and market reforms in rural economy -Market inequity and rural economy -Business models and start-ups in rural areas. This book tries to provide insights and support for policy makers, investors, researchers - all of this connecting to the rural communities in the global economy. In this context, the objective of the book is to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the area of green rural communities in the global economy and their impact on sustainable development of competitive markets. The main objectives of the book are: -to create a reference for professionals, practitioners, academia and students in field of the rural economy paradigms; -to present and analyze the latest findings in the field of the recent transformations of the rural communities -the paradigms change of rural communities in the global economy; -to create a working paradigm regarding the rural economy The book, Rural Communities in the Global Economy - Beyond The Classical Rural Economy Paradigms will definitely impact editors'fields of research, since it is mainly related to the rural communities in the global economy and the sustainable development of the rural economy through a range of activities, including green entrepreneurship and the “working with people” model. The publication is also a continuation of editors'research of the rural communities in the global economy taking into account the structures in modern business and society. Convinced of its utility, the editors are confident that Rural Communities in the Global Economy - Beyond the Classical Rural Economy Paradigms will become a milestone in the field and will stir debates regarding this research topic. This book is addressed to professionals and researchers working in the field of rural communities'economy research and management.

This book explores how education along with training and skill development are vital to building a sustainable future. While half of the world's population now is urban, in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the proportions of rural people range from 55 to 70 per cent. In this context, education is seen as a key instrument for shaping and fulfilling the goal of rural transformation. The book focuses on the links between education and rural transformation, seeking to underscore the inexorable forces of change rural communities face and how education and training, by equipping people with appropriate knowledge and skills and fostering values of human dignity, can expand their choices and capabilities to exercise these choices. UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) decided to examine closely the issues of skill development within its broad mission of exploring concepts, policy and practices in education for rural transformation. The confluence of global forces and national situations, especially in the poorer countries and regions of the world, prompted UNESCO-INRULED to take this decision. These forces and factors include persistent and growing gaps between supply and demand for jobs and employment for young people, growing vulnerabilities and risks for poor people, threats to food security, and the urgency of building a sustainable green future.

A comprehensive study on the importance of ICT in rural education There are many challenges faced in effective Information and Communication Technology (ICT) implementation for rural development. This book contains policy recommendations to help drive and stimulate innovation and creativity through ICT use and reduce the digital divide and social exclusion in rural areas. The cases included in this book typically represent the ICT educational applications in China and developing countries and examine how current policies can support the overall development progress. It is expected to share good practices and to focus on spreading them better among three targeted groups of people: young people in rural areas, teachers at rural primary and high schools, and'left-behind'rural women. This book is a research result of the program'The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education for Rural Development (iERD)'that was initiated in 2012 by the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) along with its three other partners—UNESCO Sector Policy Advice (UNESCO-PAD) and ICT in Education, International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), and Beijing Normal University-R&D Centre for Knowledge Engineering (BNU-KSEI).

There is a striking scarcity of work conducted on rural labour markets in the developing world, particularly in Africa. This book aims to fill this gap by bringing together a group of contributors who boast substantial field experience researching rural wage employment in various developing countries. It provides critical perspectives on mainstream approaches to rural/agrarian development, and analysis of agrarian change and rural transformations from a long-term perspective.This book challenges the notion that rural areas in low- and middle-income countries are dominated by self-employment. It purports that this conventional view is largely due to the application of conceptual frameworks and statistical conventions that are ill-equipped to capture labour market participation. The contributions in this book offer a variety of methodological lessons for the study of rural labour markets, focusing in particular on the use of mixed methods in micro-level field research, and more emphasis on capturing occupation multiplicity.The emphasis on context, history, and specific configurations of power relations affecting rural labour market outcomes are key and reoccurring features of this book. This analysis will help readers think about policy options to improve the quantity and quality of rural wage employment, their impact on the poorest rural people, and their political feasibility in each context.

Sustainability of rural communities is threatened by a plethora of factors including climate change and disasters which interact in an intricate manner in making rural people vulnerable and poor. This book is the output of empirical research on communities and livelihood strategies in developing countries. It reveals how rural communities are functioning and earning their livelihoods by making the best use of the resources, local/internal or external/new and the combination of the two to counteract the various challenges they face, with the ultimate goal of becoming resilient to local or global shocks and sustaining that resilience. Local governance is identified as crucial in ensuring sustainable livelihoods as it ensures healthy collaboration between communities, on the one hand and civil society and those communities, on the other hand, in promoting self-sustaining development trajectories. Similarly, the role of social capital is not ignored as it brings in community drive and a sense of purpose, direction and solidarity among community members which facilitates problem solving in periods of crises and disasters.

This book is a bird´s eye view of the livelihood and geographical conditions of backward rural areas in the central and northern Andes in Perú and in Argentina. There, people live in scattered settlements dedicated to subsistence agriculture and are also marginal to markets. NGOs are playing increasing roles in the development of peripheral rural regions, such as in Perú; while the State addresses the production at the commercial agricultural levels, the subsistence dwellers speak of the difficulties they continue to encounter to manage the marketing of their crops. In rural development, we found the need for interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the poor conditions of education, health protection, increased agricultural output, infrastructure, improved living (including sanitary) conditions and social development. In conclusion, we argue that rural development should be confronted within a systems approach that relies heavily on education. In fact the poor education of the peasantry is a hindrance to a better livelihood. All these thoughts are applied to Frias, Perú and Quebrada Lules in Argentina. The book is arranged in 15 chapters that discuss conceptual terms such as “livelihood “and continues to present the study area and its possibilities to development. This gives way to expand on a discussion on participatory research, programmes supporting livelihoods in developing countries, natural resources, and productive activity. The environmental characteristics of the district of Frias and its agriculture are examined, as well as the factors limiting the development of Frias, its threats, social vulnerability and dwellers'ways of life. The authors of this book also discuss the social ties and the role of local authorities in development taking, for example, the Quebrada de Lules in Argentina.

Rural poverty is often unseen or misperceived by outsiders. Dr Chambers contends that researchers, scientists, administrators and fieldworkers rarely appreciate the richness and validity of rural people's knowledge or the hidden nature of rural poverty. This is a challenging book for all concerned with rural development, as practitioners, academics, students or researchers.

This book makes a compelling case for reintegrating structural issues into agricultural and rural development policies, which have for the last 30 years over-focused on short-term issues. It shows how the liberalization of agriculture in many late developing countries has not in fact led to the development of the vibrant rural non-farm economy so often discussed in the literature. Neither has it led to a large-scale integration of agricultural producers into the global economy. Most producers remain engaged in traditional crops—mainly staples—and in traditional marketing systems characterized by limited contractualization. Yet in spite of these observations the book draws optimistic conclusions: there are a clear set of policy priorities that, if adapted to individual country contexts, can facilitate an enduring and productive rural transformation. The book is based on an in-depth seven-country study that surveyed 8,000 rural households. It specifically focuses on these households'activity and income structures in an evolving agricultural context marked by liberalization and trends of increasing economic integration. In doing so it reviews the very different levels (and trajectories) of rural diversification among countries at various stages in the structural transformation process. Among late developers, such as the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, a common observation is an incipient economic transition that is accompanied by a strong process of demographic transition. Consequently, growing cohorts of new labor market entrants pose a dramatic challenge. This new demographic structure offers a huge opportunity for growth if it can be accommodated, and if not it represents a serious political and economic liability. If overall economic diversification is the major avenue for change, sustainable growth, and job creation, then it is clear that agriculture and the rural economy will have a critical role to play in the coming two decades. Based on its investigation of existing rural realities, the book suggests several policy orientations. These include a clear need to focus on staples and family agriculture, to engage in targeted development strategies at the regional level, and to pursue a policy of “territorial development” that promotes strong rural-urban linkages at the level of rural localities, towns and districts.

'This book presents experts'experiences on ICT integration in rural community development within the context of developing countries'--Provided by publisher.

Pour la Banque mondiale, l'appui aux OP est une dimension incontournable des nouvelles politiques en faveur de l'agriculture et se justifie pour au moins deux raisons : les OP sont conçues comme une composante importante de la société civile, en mesure de faire pression pour améliorer la gouvernance du secteur agricole ; elles sont aussi un acteur possible de la mise en œuvre des politiques. Beaucoup de gouvernements ont aujourd'hui compris tout l'intérêt qu'ils avaient à pouvoir disposer d'interlocuteurs crédibles pour concevoir et mettre en œuvre des politiques agricoles et rurales.Ce contexte favorable aux dynamiques d'organisation des producteurs ne doit pas cacher les faiblesses et les difficultés qu'elles rencontrent. L'accès à des ressources financières stabilisées, l'accès à l'information et aux connaissances, l'accès à des ressources humaines de qualité restent encore difficiles pour de nombreuses OP donc les capacités de gestion et d'organisation sont encore parfois perfectibles. L'appui aux OP constitue donc un enjeu important dans l'accompagnement des transformations de l'agriculture pour les pays du Sud et les partenaires de la coopération au développement.

Seasonality is a severe constraint to sustainable rural livelihoods and a driver of poverty and hunger, particularly in the tropics. Many poor people in developing countries are ill equipped to cope with seasonal variations which can lead to drought or flood and consequences for agriculture, employment, food supply and the spread of disease. The subject has assumed increasing importance as climate change and other forms of development disrupt established seasonal patterns and variations. This book is the first systematic study of seasonality for over twenty years, and it aims to revive academic interest and policy awareness of this crucial but neglected issue. Thematic chapters explore recent shifts with profound implications for seasonality, including climate change, HIV/AIDS, and social protection. Case study chapters explore seasonal dimensions of livelihoods in Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi), Asia (Bangladesh, China, India), and Latin America (Peru). Others assess policy responses to adverse seasonality, for example through irrigation, migration and seasonally-sensitive education. The book also includes innovative tools for monitoring seasonality, which should enable more appropriate responses.

This book explores the place of poor people within a rich variety of value chains, focusing upon lagging, rural regions in Africa and Asia, and how they can'upgrade'within such chains. Upgrading is a key concept for value chain analysis and refers to the acquisition of technological capabilities and market linkages that enable firms to improve their competitiveness and move into higher-value activities.The authors examine a range of evidence to assess whether the'bottom billion'people, living mainly in the rural areas of low-income countries, can improve their position through productive strategies and, if so, how? They propose an innovative conceptual framework of value chain upgrading for some of the most marginal producers in the poorest local economies. They demonstrate how interventions can improve poverty and the environment for poor people supplying a wide range of services and agricultural and food products to local, regional and global markets. This analysis is based on empirical research conducted in Senegal, Mali, Tanzania, India, Nepal, Philippines and Vietnam. The main focus is on poverty, environment and gender outcomes of upgrading interventions, and represents one of the key challenges of contemporary development economics.

La recherche-action en partenariat combine production de connaissances, transformation des réalités sociales et renforcement des compétences individuelles et collectives. L'ouvrage donne les fondements de la recherche-action en partenariat en agriculture et des éléments pour mettre en pratique une telle démarche. Il souligne non seulement les questions théoriques mais aussi les questions pratiques que soulève ce triple objectif.L'ouvrage s'appuie sur un large éventail d'expériences dans l'agriculture des pays du Sud, qui illustrent comment des praticiens ont répondu aux défis d'une démarche qui est toujours à réinventer selon les contextes. Il est destiné aux chercheurs, aux techniciens du développement rural et aux représentants d'organisations du monde rural confrontés à la résolution des problèmes complexes que pose le développement rural dans les agricultures des pays du Sud.

What can we do to unlock the unrealised potential of the hundreds of millions of rural poor and landless workers?The ever-topical central theme in this collection of essays is the mixed role of government and the institutionally regulated market in tackling rural poverty and land distribution inequality. Drawing on over half a century of M. Riad El-Ghonemy's academic and field experience in developing countries across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and South East Asia, this is a comprehensive record of the late-twentieth century study of and struggle against rural inequality, seen through the eyes of one of its foremost observers. Containing a balance of in-depth field studies and El-Ghonemy's personal observations from 1952 onwards, this volume provides the basis for discussion and debate on a range of developmental issues. Foremost among these is the appropriate approach both to explain the factors underlying developing countries'rural backwardness, and to enable them to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the incidence of poverty and hunger by 2015. The compelling argument made here is that redistributive land reform, combined with non-farm intensive employment opportunities and investment in education within rural areas are necessary to tackle persistent poverty effectively. Anti-Poverty Land Reform Issues Never Die is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students learning rural development and institutional and development economics.M.Riad El-Ghonemy is Senior Research Associate at the Department of International Development, University of Oxford and Research Fellow at the Department of Economics, the American University in Cairo, and Emeritus Professor, Ein-Shams University, Cairo. He is the author of several publications, including The Political Economy of Rural Poverty, Routledge (1990).

Challenging assumptions about the benefits of specific development practices, this book provides readers with overview of how competing frameworks have developed and the ways that specific development practices reflect specific understandings of the main debates, as well as offering a comprehensive historical overview of attempts to achieve economi

One of the most notable changes in the world economy during the past three decades has been the diverging trends in the growth of the developing countries. Compared to East Asian countries that have integrated well into the global economy, those of Sub-Saharan Africa have remained stagnant and have become the world's least developed area. The policies and programmes of international organizations have failed to improve the situation while the global economy becomes dominated by trans-national corporations. A review of the suitability of globalization as an economic strategy for these under-developed countries is therefore needed. Focusing on the impact of globalization and on the constraints imposed by the changes in the world's production and trade, this book examines the opportunities open to the least developed countries as they design their strategies to accelerate growth and alleviate poverty. As the world's awareness of issues concerning globalization grows, this study will provide valuable insights.

Less-favoured areas with limited agricultural potential or difficult access conditions, support 40 percent of the world's rural population suffering from chronic poverty. While agricultural innovations and rural development programs have begun to be implemented within developing countries, they do not address the specific obstacles faced by this large population. Instead, a targeted approach is needed to identify different resource management strategies for particular types of households and communities as well as creating balanced investments aimed at sustainable intensification of rural livelihoods. Such efforts have been the focus of the research program on Regional Food Security Policies for Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Economies (RESPONSE). Through the study of less-favoured areas in Africa, Latin America, and South and East Asia, development pathways allowing for the careful adjustment of resource use strategies at the field, farm-household and village level are explored.

Business firms have employed strategic alliances with other firms to effectively manage costs, overcome resource and technology constraints, and enhance competitive position. The principle and practice of strategic alliances can be applied as well for productive and beneficial institutional collaborations in rural financial markets to expand the array of financial products and to scale up access of rural households and micro-businesses to financial services. Strategic alliances comprise a new theme in rural finance. The institutions in the study used strategic alliances to tap new capital resou.

Attempts to bring the benefits of information technology in the form of the internet to developing countries have, to date, foundered on the belief that this requires the beneficiaries to access the technology directly. As a result, the perceived huge benefits of such an enterprise have often failed to materialise.This original contribution to the

'ST/ESCAP/2296'--T.p. verso.

'Csaba Csaki... is the principal author of this document, with significant input from Cornelis de Haan'--P. vii.

Based on papers presented at an international conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, late July-early Aug. 1998.

Reviews causes of poverty in rural areas and presents a policy framework for reducing rural poverty, including through land reform, public works programs, access to credit, physical and social infrastructure, subsidies, and transfer of technology. Identifies key elements for drafting a policy to reduce rural poverty.

While the diffusion of modernity and the spread of development schemes may bring prosperity, optimism and opportunity for some, for others it has brought poverty, a deterioration in quality of life and has given rise to violence. This collection brings an anthropological perspective to bear on understanding the diverse modernities we face in the contemporary world. It provides a critical review of interpretations of development and modernity, supported by rigorous case studies from regions as diverse as Guatemala, Sri Lanka, West Africa and contemporary Europe.Together, the chapters in this volume demonstrate the crucial importance of looking to ethnography for guidance in shaping development policies. Ethnography can show how people's own agency transforms, recasts and complicates the modernities they experience. The contributors argue that explanations of change framed in terms of the dominantdiscourses and institutions of modernity are inadequate, and that we give closer attention to discourses, images, beliefs and practices that run counter to these yet play a part in shaping them and giving them meaning.Anthropology, Development and Modernities deals with the realities of people's everyday lives and dilemmas. It is essential reading for students and scholars in anthropology, sociology and development studies. It should also be read by all those actively involved in development work.

This interdisciplinary study applies human rights theory to the problems of rural poverty in the Third World. Considering the interdependence of minimal food and health security with minimal assurance of basic freedoms, political scientist Alan G. Smith traces the linkage to the need of the food-insecure to seek clientelistic dependencies on better-off neighbors—relationships that often operate to restrict freedom of choice. In contrast to conventional rural development aid, which can introduce new client dependency if pursued alone, Smith stresses the need to find other forms of aid that would provide the option of assured minimal survival while avoiding the constraints imposed by dependency. Arguing for bolstering bottom-up human rights momentum, he suggests the transfer of appropriate tools into the hands of the target group. Recipients would make use of them to enhance autonomous food-crop production, thereby making client dependency a matter of choice rather than necessity.Smith illustrates the Third World predicament of food insecurity leading to infringement of rights by drawing together empirical evidence from Bangladesh, Botswana, and Tanzania. He further argues that respect for human rights involves a duty on the part of advantaged nations to address the Third World predicament with practical measures fully consistent with human rights, and for each of these three country cases, Smith recommends direct locally specific minimalist aid. His model, its practical illustration, and recommendations should be valuable to academics and students in the fields of rural sociology, anthropology, and political science—especially those focusing on human rights, poverty, and Third World development—as well as bureaucrats and consultants in the development aid field.

'The preparation team was led by Alex McCalla, and included Wendy Ayres... [et al.].'

The World Bank has, over the past two years, revisited its rural development strategy and in turn developed a new one, through a renewed commitment to sound development in the rural sector, and seeks to encompass farmers and their communities alike, as well as policymakers. This report gathers applied and practical research related to agriculture and the environment in the developing world, summarizing current knowledge through specific examples, stating the approaches and conditions which worked or not, and the reasons for failure. The observations and findings suggest that environmentally sound increases in productivity will be harder to achieve than in the past, though a significant potential for attaining these increases do exist. To this end, reforms are necessary, so that policy and institutional frameworks support an intensified sustainable agriculture, conducive to an environment that gives way to technological innovation. The authors in this report, review subjects from, integrating environmental concerns in rural development policies, natural resources degradation, small-farmer decisionmaking, to agricultural trade reforms, research initiatives, property regimes, etc. Institutional and social perspectives, together with technical issues and perspectives are also analyzed through various subjects in this volume.

'This report was prepared by Douglas Barnes, Dennis Anderson, and Karl Jechoutek, under the direction of Richard Stern'-P. xi.