Challenges in Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation: The Role of Civil Society Organizations and Development Institutions

Nairobi, Kenya
6-9 May, 2002

Sponsors: International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Government of Italy

Introduction

1. Focusing on rural development in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, this workshop will bring together development practitioners from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private-sector agencies, public institutions and the donor community to share experiences and propose directions relating to four main thematic areas:

• equitable and efficient market systems for the rural poor;
• access to productive resources by the rural poor, in particular land and water;
• pro-poor rural financial systems and products; and
• knowledge, information and technology systems for the rural poor.

2. A key issue of analysis will be the question of productive institutional and operational partnerships between NGOs, governments and donors. Participants will discuss how these various organizations can work together to achieve effective and measurable results in the above thematic areas in particular, and in rural development in general.

3. The workshop is being organized by IFAD and will be funded in part by the Government of Italy.

Background

4. Over the past year, IFAD has been analysing poverty in eastern and southern Africa in order to understand more fully the dynamics of rural poverty in the region and to identify key areas for poverty-alleviation responses. The process has culminated in the formulation of a regional rural poverty-alleviation strategy, which recognizes that enabling the rural poor to improve their livelihoods entails full-fledged partnerships. IFAD has organized this workshop as part of a consultative review process of the priorities identified in this strategy. The workshop will seek to identify critical areas and issues, possible responses and the partnerships required.

5. Poverty in eastern and southern Africa is predominantly a rural phenomenon. More than three quarters of the total population are based in rural areas, and the rural poor account for approximately 83% of the extreme poverty in the region. In addition, over 85% of the rural population depend on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods. IFAD’s experience in the region shows that it is principally through the sustained development of the smallholder sector that the poor can emerge from poverty. However, the sector must be developed in tandem with related and complementary support systems and services.

6. Among the principal constraints that prevent the region's poor from bettering their livelihoods are insecure land-ownership systems, the small size of landholdings, limited access to water and the lack of resource management systems. Other important limitations facing the poor include low levels of capital; limited access to financial services and products tailored to their needs (if and where they exist); lack of access to and influence on markets for inputs, products and services; poor information and technology systems; and lack of opportunity to make policies and institutions responsive to their needs.

7. In addition to these challenges, the ‘new’ shock of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a dire impact on the rural poor, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The epidemic is negatively affecting and changing the patterns of people’s livelihood systems and options, in addition to jeopardizing the service-providing capacity and efficiency of institutions. Its effects are crosscutting and systemic, which makes it essential to review and adjust development approaches in the light of the epidemic's dynamics. The above constraints reflect the priority areas that IFAD has identified for concerted support in the region.

Workshop Objectives and Expected Outcome

8. Focusing on the four thematic areas referred to above, the workshop will seek to improve understanding of the development challenges in the region, including the definition of the kinds of NGO-donor-community partnerships required in order to strengthen rural development initiatives. In particular, the workshop will provide an opportunity to:

• share and understand the challenges facing rural poverty alleviation in eastern and southern Africa in order to achieve a broad consensus on the development priorities in the region;
• define operational, policy and strategy issues needing attention, and the role of NGOs, the private sector and other development organizations in this process;
• understand the challenges faced in forming inter-organizational partnerships in order to recommend ways to build effective partnerships within and between development organizations; and
• propose modalities for a revolving fund in support of pilot income-generating activities and projects undertaken by grass-roots organizations. It is envisaged that this will lead to a platform of proven experience that will facilitate subsequent access to upstream financial services by groups undertaking the pilot activities.
  

9. The workshop is conceived as a forum for discussion, sharing experiences and networking among participants who are expected to come from NGOs, donors, researchers and institutions working in the field of rural development.

10. Participants are invited to prepare papers for presentation in one or more of the thematic areas. Papers should be 8-12 pages, with a maximum of 3 000 words. All papers should be accompanied by an abstract, and should be submitted to IFAD preferably before the workshop. Participants will be requested to make presentations during plenary sessions of the workshop. They will also take part in small group work sessions aimed at identifying challenges, 'lessons learned' and the way forward for programmes and policies that seek to empower rural communities in the defined thematic areas. Following the workshop, all papers will be published as part of conference proceedings.

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