Rural Development in the 1980's: Executive Summary and Conference Proceedings Report on the International Conference Held at the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia in November 1979

摘要

In 1979 A.I.D. sponsored an international conference on the challenge of poverty and rural development in the 1980's. The proceedings of the conference, here presented, include conference workshop deliberations, formal and panel presentations, and special sessions. Also presented is an executive summary providing the main consensus points about rural development projects: (1) projects do not take place in a policy vacuum; (2) decisionmaking should be decentralized to strengthen local capacities; and (3) personnel from many disciplines should be involved. In response to the above points participants recommend that donor agencies: (1) encourage local participation in all project stages; (2) keep project implementation responsibility at the lowest possible level; (3) weigh the trade off of short-run costs and benefits and long-run social benefits and burdens; and (4) shorten the time between project identification and implementation. Summaries of seven workshops cover technical deliberations, organization and mobilization issues, conclusions, and recommendations. Topics were small farmer and rural household production systems; rural financial markets; market access, agricultural pricing, and food distribution; rural enterprises and off-farm employment; rural public works; providing social services in rural areas; and development of and access to natural resources.