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EAST AFRICA: Rural development ''vital to reducing poverty''

DAR ES SALAAM, 24 May (IRIN) - With four fifths of Africa's poorest living
in the countryside, the battle against poverty will only be won through
"accelerated rural development", the president of the United Nations
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) told a conference in
Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

Poverty must be tackled at its roots, in the rural areas, where there is a
need to go beyond social interventions in health and education "to touch
upon economic development processes in the countryside" that involve the
poor themselves, Lennart Bage added.

Bage laid down the challenge for governments and donors to recognise that
rural economy and rural society, though not seen as fashionable by many
decision-makers, are core issues in development and poverty reduction.

"We have to ensure that the development effort is renewed, that it
recognises the absolutely critical dimension of rural poverty, and that it
without economic growth among poor people in rural areas we will not
significantly reduce poverty in large areas in the world - and especially
not in Africa," he added.

Bage made the comments at the opening session of a ministerial workshop on
Poverty Reduction and Rural Growth in Eastern and Southern Africa. he added
that public expenditure figures coming from that region showed a need for
increased commitment to these areas from the countries themselves.

The IFAD president said that effective poverty reduction - as called for in
the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an integrated
strategic framework for the socio-economic development of the continent, and
poverty reduction initiatives being developed in the region - would require
greater empowerment of poor rural people, concern for gender issues and
collaboration with the private sector.

Bage also expressed concern about the organisation of international
agricultural markets, specifically with regard to subsidies.

"The current system systematically blocks many avenues of economic
development among poor rural people," he said. "It has to be changed."

"If trade is going to be as important as aid in reducing poverty, it has to
be trade giving developing countries access to markets instead of using them
as dumping grounds for surpluses fuelled by subsidies," Bage added.

Tanzania's Vice-President, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein, speaking at the opening
session, also highlighted the issue of agricultural subsidies in developed
nations impeding efforts to combat rural poverty.

However, he stressed that Tanzania was making progress and is developing an
integrated strategy to combat poverty, through the National Poverty
Eradication Strategy that looks at long-term development goals and
perspectives.

The IFAD conference on Thursday and Friday brought together ministers,
donors, aid agencies and representatives from international organisations
from the region.

According to the agency, mandated by the UN to help combat hunger and
poverty, the conference is a response to the Monterrey Consensus and the
Millennium Summit goal of halving the number of poor in the world by 2015.

"Discussions will include a review of national rural development and poverty
reduction strategies and means of increasing investment and financing for
sound and sustainable rural development," it added.

[ENDS]

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