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Montpellier 2002

The First European Forum on Rural Development Cooperation was held in Montpellier in September 2002. It was the first event of its kind bringing together European Development Agencies working to reduce rural poverty in developing countries. The majority of the 200 participants were policy makers and practitioners from the European Commission and EU Member States development agencies. In addition, there were over 70 invited resource people from partner governments, multilateral organisations, NGOs and research bodies. Their presence helped to bring developing country perspectives into the forum, and provide access to cutting-edge international expertise.

The purpose of the forum was to share experience among European development agencies on strategies, policies and good practice for rural poverty reduction in developing countries. As development cooperation becomes more sharply focused on the poverty reduction targets enshrined in the Millennium Development Goals, rural areas are taking on greater importance because they are home to three quarters of the world’s poor. The European development agencies possess substantial expertise and experience in rural poverty reduction, and together provide well over half of global official development assistance. However, it is recognised that there is a need to make better use of these resources by bringing European development agencies closer together to share experience, develop professional contacts and introduce more collaborative ways of working. This was the main challenge addressed by the rural forum.

The forum was hosted in the city of Montpellier using the facilities of Agropolis. It was jointly funded by the European Commission, CTA, and the governments of France, Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom, all of which are represented on the steering group of the rural forum that is responsible for planning the event and its follow up.

Documentation

Opening Address

Speech by Jean-Michel Debrat, Deputy Director General, Agence Française de Développement
speech (PDF, 109 kB), presentation (PDF, 376 kB)

PART 1
RURAL STRATEGIES FOR POVERTY REDUCTION

Panel Discussion:
Rural Strategies for Poverty Reduction

Overview:
How to ensure the place of rural development in PRSPs

Case study:
The Bolivia PRSP

Overview:
Rural-urban dynamics

Discussion:
Migration - good or bad?

Case study:
Rural Infrastructure and poverty reduction in Bolivia

Discussion:
Secondary towns and rural growth

Overview:
Why invest in low potential areas?

Discussion:
Do we know what works in low potential areas?

Discussion:
Resource scarcity - what works for AIDS affected households?

Case study:
Livestock development in the Sahel - The example of Chad

Panel discussion:
Making world agricultural trade work for the rural poor

Discussion:
What are they key issues in WTO negotiations for the rural poor in developing countries?

Discussion:
Which agricultural and trade policies are required at the national level in developing countries to take advantage of liberalisation?

PART 2
RURAL INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNANCE

Panel discussion:
Local governance for rural development

Case study:
Local governance for rural development in Zambia

Case study: Local governance for rural development in South Africa and Uganda

Panel discussion:
Role and limitations of producer associations

Discussion:
Approaches and tools to support rural producer associations

Case study:
Rural producer associations in Benin

Case Study:
Rural producer associations in Mali

Panel Discussion:
Working with community organisations and civil society

Case Study:
Working with community organisations and civil society - Uganda

Case Study:
Working with community organisations and civil society - Bolivia

Panel discussion:
Decentralised provision of rural services by the public and private sector

Case Study:
Who finances, who delivers? Centre-Local, Public-Private?

PART 3
PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO KEY RURAL ISSUES

Panel discussion:
How can land tenure reform contribute to poverty reduction?

Case study:
Land policy in Madagascar and Mali

Panel discussion:
Financial services for poor people: What works?

Discussion:
Comparing African and Asian experiences in rural financial services

Discussion:
Sustainability of Financial Institutions

Panel discussion:
How to make agricultural research more pro-poor

Discussion:
Global public and private goods

Discussion:
How to make national agricultural research more effective and focussed on rural poverty

Panel discussion:
How to promote the non-farm rural economy?

Case study:
Supporting the non-farm economy in Madagascar

Panel discussion:
Sustainable natural resources management top down and bottom up

Discussion:
Mainstreaming environmental issues into rural development strategies

PART 4
IMPLEMENTING RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES.
HOW TO WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY?

Panel discussion
Agriculture SWAPs: how to make them work better?

Workshop:
How to engage with public expenditure processes for rural development

Panel discussion:
Donor coordination in the field and partnerships with government

Panel discussion:
Managing rural development better among EU agencies

Panel discussion:
Information communication technologies and management for rural poverty reduction

Download

Summaries

Proceedings
PDF, 464 kB
Annexes
PDF, 289 kB

All documents

Part 1
Rural Strategies for Poverty Reduction

Part 2
Rural Institutions and Governance

Part 3
Practical Approaches to Key Rural Issues

Part 4
Implementing Rural Development Strategies - How to work more effectively?

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