Sector Strategy

The World Bank's work in Rural Development is anchored in a Bank-wide Rural Development Sector Strategy and regional economic policy strategies, revised periodically to ensure that assistance is well aligned with evolving country needs and global circumstances.

The Strategy is developed and implemented by the World Bank in partnership with their client countries and is a dynamic process, responding to changes and evolutions in the broader development arena on an ongoing basis.

Depending on the degree of change, every 5 years or so ARD revisits its strategy in consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders. For the current strategy the consultative process began in 2000. The resulting strategy, Reaching the Rural Poor, was endorsed by the World Bank's Board of Directors on October 31, 2002 and published in 2003.

Download the Regional Sector StrategyReaching the Rural Poor:A Rural Development Strategy for the Latin America and Caribbean Region:

  Executive Summary (pdf 232 KB)   Abstract  Full Document (pdf 2.12 MB)

 Reaching the Rural Poor - Video
KevinCleaver, former Director of the World Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development Department discusses the Rural Strategy. English | Spanish

MORE INFORMATION

Listing of all regional strategies:

   Africa emphasizes the institutional foundation for reducing rural poverty, and advocates support for government efforts to decentralize and enhance the participation of rural communities.

 Europe and Central Asia focuses on sustainable rural growth and the completion of the transition process from planned to market economies in rural areas.

 South Asia emphasizes enhancing human and social development in rural areas, as well as decentralization of decision-making to local communities.