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Development of the Rural Economy and Poverty Reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean

Key investments in rural areas, agriculture, agribusiness and rural off-farm activities offer a tremendous potential to contribute to economic growth, reduce rural poverty, improve the utilization of natural resources, and alleviate the population pressure on urban areas. The objective of the conference was to propose a broad and multi-sectoral vision for rural development in the region, including a rural agenda for the IDB.

The Conference was comprised of three main panels. The first panel discussed a vision for the rural economy, including strategies for rural poverty reduction in the region. The second panel deliberated on macroeconomic policy and its sectoral impact and the modern role of the public sector in the rural setting. The third panel examined the increasing significance in off-farm employment and options for improving rural incomes.

The Conference panels included experts from civil society and the private and public sectors from IDB member countries. There was great participation of Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as of representatives from private sector organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities, producers? associations and other members of civil society.

Following the three panels, there was a session in which international technical and financial organizations considered an inter-agency consensus on the most promising options for agricultural development and rural poverty reduction.

Conference participants also took part in a Rural Field Visit on Saturday March 25^th that included visits to an agricultural research station, the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, rural community development projects, a small farm and an agribusiness firm.

• The State and Nontraditional Agricultural Exports in Latin America: Results and Lessons of Three Case Studies By Octavio Damiani
• Making Investment in the Rural Poor into Good Business: New Perspectives for rural Development in Latin America By Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet
• Institutional Reform and Management of the Public Agricultural Sector: Progress and Tasks Ahead By Roberto Martínez Nogueira
• Thoughts on Agriculture in Latin America By Martín Piñeiro
• A Vision for Food, Agriculture and the Environment in Latin America for 2020 By Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Julie Babinard
• Agriculture and the Macroeconomy in Latin America during the Nineties By Jorge A. Quiroz
• Rural, Nonagricultural Employment and Income in Latin America and the Caribbean By Julio A. Berdegué, Thomas Reardon and Germán Escobar

Last updated: 04/19/06

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