Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by Enabling the Rural Poor to Overcome their Poverty

The report takes a close look at the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and defines it as the new global foundation to eradicate poverty. The report emphasizes that in order to reduce poverty, resources should not merely be provided but should be applied where they are needed and change be brought about in a fashion that it makes the greatest difference. The report argues that the rural world is where most poor live and agriculture and other rural livelihood support activities need to be supported to alleviate poverty.

IFAD has identified three areas of strategic intervention to help achieve the MDG goals:

• Strengthening the capacity of rural poor and their organizations;
• Improving equitable access to productive natural resources and technology;
• Improving access to financial services and markets.

The report further deepens the strategic perspective and concentrates on the issues of institution and markets. Stating the importance of institutions, the report make following observations:

• Institutions are vital for improving the conditions of rural poor;
• Poor should exercise organized influence over the institutions;
• Effective decentralization of public bodies is necessary for local participation.

The report describes market access as an equally vital area for poverty alleviation and make following comments:

• Interacting with markets is a vital aspect of livelihood strategies of poor;
• Policy advocacy should play a role in ensuring the integration of the interest of poor in globalization strategies;
• Strategies should be developed to counter exclusion of women from economic growth and poverty alleviation;
• Means of access to markets such as infrastructure, services should be improved.