MODULE RURAL DEVELOPMENT  

Coordinator Cristiana Sparacino

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Core issues cover:

  • The Role of Agriculture in Economic Development

  • Rural poverty

  • Access to assets: land and natural resources, finance, technology, markets

  • Gender and development

  • The global agenda of agriculture and trade

  • Agro biodiversity: the agro ecological model, the IPRs system in agriculture, the GM model

  • COSTAB

 

 
 

Photo: Raphaël Blasselle

  
              

 

The Role of Agriculture in Economic Development

A. Why is the development of agriculture a sine qua non for overall economic growth and development?

  • Presentation of various theories (Lewis, Alderman, etc.; focus on the Agricultural-Demand-Led-Industrialization theory)

  • Demonstration of the declining role of agriculture in developed countries but only after a certain top-level of productivity in the agricultural sector has been obtained (discussion of the agricultural transition)

B. What is the situation of the rural poor today?

  • Presentation of rural poverty situation by region (i.e. focus on IFAD regional poverty assessments)

  • Focus on vulnerability and lack of assets

  • Conclude that poverty reduction will be achieved by:

    1. investing in the rural sectors

    2. increasing access to assets for the rural poor

    3. advocacy/policy dialogue at international level to bring to the forefront the issues faced by unfair competition from the North

 

Increasing Access to Assets

A. Natural Assets

Land, water, forests.

B. Human and Social Assets

  • Strengthening rural organizations for increasing the voice of the poor

  • Case studies

C. Access to finance

Presentation on:

  • why financial services for the poor

  • what lessons have been learned

  • what is a strategy which today can be considered as successful in rural finance delivery systems

  • Case Studies

 D. Access to markets

  • Seminar on why access to markets

  •  How to access markets-some case studies

               

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