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Review of Bank Sponsored National Rural Development Strategies

In conjunction with the implementation of Thrust One of the World Bank Rural Development Strategy (Integrating the Needs of the Rural Poor in the National Policy Dialogue), nineteen national rural development strategies has been reviewed. The objectives of this Review are:

• Assess the current state of the art in national strategy development and the related Bank supported activities;

• Draw conclusions for improvements in national strategy development for both national and donor teams, as well as for the Bank;

• Create a foundation for a more in-depth study of a selected number of cases; • Inform international donors (specifically BNPP) supporting the national strategy

development process under the Bank’s umbrella, and • Share Bank experiences with FAO and IFAD, which also support national strategy

development under their own umbrella. The documentation for the strategies selected for review was provided by the regions. With the exception of Morocco, all other strategies were prepared recently (2000-2004), and were based on various degrees of cooperation among national teams, the Bank, and international donors. The Review included three components: a desk review, interviews with the task managers, and a clinic with the participation of a broader number of task managers. The desk review draws solely from the written strategy documents and is accordingly focused on the content of strategies, while the interviews with the task managers focused on the process of strategy development itself and the impacts and results. The clinic offered an opportunity to discuss initial findings and obtain additional experiences from the field. The desk review has reviewed the strategies in light of the framework and guidelines for national rural development strategies as set out in Reaching the Rural Poor. Interviews with the relevant national teams, or the analysis of any other supporting documents were not within the purview of this exercise.

Strategies Included in the Sample There are several examples of Bank-supported national rural strategies developed during the last five years. The nineteen sample strategies chosen for this review reflect the diversity of strategy types and approaches in adapting the overall conceptual framework of the Bank’s rural development strategy to national and sub-national conditions. Table 1 provides an overview of the composition of the sample. Each Bank region is represented in the sample except South Asia. In this region there has not been any completed national strategy development project during the last five years which would satisfy the selection criteria /Bank supported activity with a structure consistent with principles outlined in Reaching the Rural Poor/. Before discussing the results of the review a short background of the conditions and features which led to the drafting of the individual strategies chosen are summarized. They are listed below according to regions and in the order they are presented in the accompanying review tables. This review was prepared by Csaba Csaki with contribution by Isabel Tsakok

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AFRICA

• Benin – This strategy is an updated version of an earlier strategy and was prepared as an input to the PRSP completed in 2002. It resulted from years of discussion starting in 1991, using the participatory approach. It focused on restructuring the role of the State.

• Lesotho – Developed along lines set out in the so-called National Vision and is a component of the PRSP. Participation has been extensive down to district and community levels. Focuses on the need to transform agriculture from its current low-productivity, subsistence nature to a commercial agriculture thriving within an open-economy framework. It also emphasizes the need to assist youth and seniors struggling with HIV/AIDS. Regular assessments of progress of the strategy are envisaged.

• Niger – In the context of the PRSP preparation supported by the Bank, it has been submitted to donors in January 2002. It was prepared using the consultative or participatory approach. It contains clear plans and detailed prioritization.

• Nigeria – This strategy was prepared as a joint product of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the World Bank, FAO, DFID, and USAID, with the participation of a broad number of government officials and national and international consultants (2001). The strategy is holistic in nature and covers all aspects of rural development, with a strong focus on policies, agriculture (specifically irrigation), and it also includes a detailed implementation strategy.

• Sierra Leone – Prepared in the context of several major nation-wide strategic initiatives, the Agriculture Sector Note (2004) outlines a medium-term strategy (3-5 years) to promote the sector’s transition from resettlement to recovery and development. The proposed strategy is still to be translated into a medium-term operational strategy and public expenditure program.

• Tanzania – It was prepared in the context of broad macroeconomic adjustment and was related to the PRSP. It received significant support from the Bank and other donors. It focuses on agriculture, with a systematic assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. An Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee is responsible for monitoring and evaluating its progress.

• Uganda – The Program for the Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) was prepared as a component of the Government’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) and was launched in December 2000. It has been initiated by strong country leadership, was discussed widely among stakeholders, and received extensive donor support. It focuses on multiple constraints resulting in low productivity agriculture.

EAST ASIA

• Mongolia - The Bank, in collaboration with a number of international donors, supported a government-led team in the development of a holistic rural strategy (2002). The key objectives were to promote agricultural growth and food security, improve risk management capability, and sustainable natural resource management among livestock owners and herders and improve the delivery of basic social services in rural areas. The strategy was innovative in the way in which it involved stakeholder participation at the local level.

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• Vietnam - A joint government, Bank, donor, and NGO poverty working group produced the Vietnam Development Report (2000), attacking poverty. This analytical work led to the creation of a Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2003) which was the basis of this review. Many participatory workshops and training events were held in conjunction with the preparation of this strategy, which encompasses more than agriculture and rural development. However, rural development is an integral part of this process and much of the focus of the proposed actions reflects an emphasis on reaching the rural poor.

Europe and Central Asia

• Albania – It was prepared with a close cooperation with the government and with international donors. It provided input for the PRSP and for a number of national planning documents.

• Moldova – It was prepared in 2002 as a strategy for Bank involvement in the country with limited direct government involvement due to change in the Government during the preparation.

• Ukraine - With the support of the Bank, OECD, and others, a national team prepared a policy document to support agricultural and rural policy decisions and create a foundation for WTO negotiations (2003). The document has ample proposals and recommendations, but these were not compiled in a traditional strategy format. The Ukraine study is very strong in analytical foundation and presents the first Producer Subsidy Equivalent (PSE) calculations for the country.

• Uzbekistan - The Uzbekistan exercise focuses on the wheat and cotton sub-sectors and wider cropping patterns to provide a foundation for a broader rural development strategy by the government (2003). The work had a significant impact on recent Presidential Decrees on the concept of farm development and provided direct inputs to the CEM and the CAS. The study takes a comparative approach with other transition countries while also showing a strong empirical foundation.

Latin America and Caribbean

• Bolivia – Prepared within the context of the national dialogue on poverty reduction which started in 2000 and continued for several years, including the preparation of PRSP in March 2001. It is comprehensive in coverage with performance targets set for the next five years. An Inter-Ministerial Committee is in charge of implementation at several levels of government.

• Peru – The national strategy was prepared in cooperation with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and endorsed in November 2003. It is comprehensive as it covers all regions, not just the Sierra, and includes all main actors in the rural space. Prioritization for an action plan is envisaged after further consultation with stakeholders.

• Peru - Sierra – This sub-national regional rural development strategy was designed to provide input to the government for the development of the Sierra region and for Bank and other international donor assistance (2002). This is a very good example of a holistic approach which presents a multi-faceted action program to reduce poverty in a

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marginally and impoverished area, with strong linkages to overall national rural development.

• Mexico-South - This exercise was conducted as technical underpinning for adopting a policy agenda to enhance development in southern Mexico and foster cooperation between federal and local governments on poverty reduction (2003). It has sub-national coverage focusing on the three poorest states in Mexico and is composed of a number of policy notes addressing specific developmental aspects. Most of these notes have strong rural orientation.

Middle East and North Africa

• Morocco – The government officially adopted its Rural Development Strategy 2020 in 1998. This strategy, prepared jointly by a Moroccan and Bank-Donor team, led to the creation of a permanent inter-ministerial council for rural development and a rural development fund to finance decentralized, demand-driven rural development projects. Economic modeling and scenario analysis were used to lay out strategic options.

• Yemen – A national rural strategy was prepared jointly by the Government and the Bank, in conjunction with the elaboration of the second five year plan and the PRSP (2003). The strategy gives a framework to prioritize projects and programs and provides further details for rural development. The strategy has a strong institutional focus and provides a blueprint for implementation at the local level, and was designed to feed directly into the CAS.

Main Characteristics of Strategies Reviewed The Tables of this report give more detailed findings organized by major issues and by region and country. Aggregate conclusions drawn from all nineteen examples, discussions with a subset of task managers and comments made at the clinic are summarized below. Modalities Almost all the strategies are strongly integrated into the national planning processes, with a generally high degree of government “ownership” with the aim of enhancing national decisions on rural development and poverty reduction. Government “ownership” is considered necessary (but not sufficient) for success by task managers. Such ownership was evidenced in several ways. For example, the Government took the lead to develop a rural development strategy without donor prodding (Bolivia). The cabinet approved of the strategy for which the Ministry of Finance took the lead, not a sector ministry (Uganda). However, the level of government ownership that matters is not only in initiating, developing and officially approving a rural strategy. It is also essential in financing and implementing it through the years. The Bank can have an important role to play in strengthening this second level of ownership by helping design the strategy in such a way that it is funded, gets implemented and yields results early in the process of implementation. Early success is critical in nurturing ownership. Another important Bank contribution is in securing the financing necessary for implementation over an extended

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period of time, including for related field visits, and in maintaining staff continuity, even if the product does not bear the Bank’s name. Most of the rural strategies have strong linkages to PRSPs and provide an input to CAS documents. Beyond these uniform developmental objectives, however, four major modalities can be identified. In terms of coverage:

• Nation-wide strategies - sixteen out of the nineteen review strategies fall under this category.

• Sub-regional strategies - three of the nineteen strategies fall under this category. In terms of approach:

• Fully-fledged integrated rural development strategies - sixteen of the nineteen strategies. • Integrated independent studies and policy notes - three of the nineteen strategies.

The diversity of modalities can be considered as one of the strengths of the Bank-supported national strategy efforts and reflects the proper use of tools to cope with individual country and sub-regional situations, and the resources available for each exercise. Analytical Foundation The analytical foundation and depth of analysis vary significantly from country to country. There are examples of quite sophisticated analytical techniques and thorough statistical analysis forming the foundation of the diagnosis. Moreover, in some cases the diagnosis presented is based on the use of information from high quality analysis prepared as background material, or from other projects and studies. However, in the majority of cases, the direct analytical basis of the strategies is not very strong and sophisticated methods of economic and statistical analysis are not employed. The review of the sample indicates that there is often a trade off between analytical work and resources spent on the consultation process and priority setting. The majority view of task managers is that consultations and priority setting should have a priority over analytics. At the same time it was agreed that the analytical foundation needs to meet a minimum standard. Preferably national strategies should be supported by background studies providing expanded analytical foundation. Box 1 presents a case where quality analytics is combined with well focused strategic recommendations.

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Box 1. Ukraine National Strategy: A Case of Strong Analytical Foundation This strategy was prepared as a joint undertaking of the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank and the OECD. The study outlines a forward looking policy agenda, assesses the development and current status of agricultural policies .Going beyond the boundaries of the agricultural sector, the strategy also encompasses the entire rural space surrounding agriculture, including rural physical and social infrastructure and the extent of rural poverty. In this context the strategy is based on a high quality analytical foundation which includes: • a sophisticated analysis of the agricultural sector performance, • an evaluation of the evolving system of domestic support measures and transfers to

agriculture, • preparation internationally comparable estimates of support to the Ukrainian agricultural

sector based on Producer and Consumer Support Estimates/PSA,CSE/. • a state of art analysis of the Ukrainian agricultural trade performance and policies with

special reference to the process of Ukraine accession to WTO, • the efficiency of the marketing chains in the sector are analyzed also for the first time, • an assessment of the state of rural social and physical infrastructure, • a well elaborated rural poverty assessment. Content The sample is quite colorful and diverse as far as the actual content of the strategies is concerned:

a. Policies and institutions All strategies cover policies, though with varying emphasis. Some of them are fairly comprehensive, while others put more emphasis on agriculture or poverty-related policies Some strategies are narrowly focused on policies. Box 2 provides a typical example of such strategies. In general while specific policy options are well defined the political economy of implementation of policy options is not addressed., Some features of one of these strategies are introduced by Box 3. Overall, governance and central and local institutions and institutional constraints do not get the attention they deserve. This is one major shortcoming of most of the strategies reviewed.

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Box 2. Moldova: A Strategy Narrowly Focused on Agricultural Policies. The transition in Moldova from a centrally planned to a market and private ownership based system is progressing slowly. Major agricultural policy issues have remained unresolved for more than a decade. It is therefore understandable that the Bank initiated Moldova Agricultural and Rural Strategy addresses mainly classical agricultural policy issues. This strategy provides the clearest example of policy focused strategies in the sample elaborating the following major policy actions proposed to accelerate agricultural recovery and growth in Moldova.

1. The Macroeconomic Framework and Business Environment Improve the Legal and Regulatory Environment Maintain Favorable Policy Environment 2. Agro-processing and Trade Exploit Opportunities for Trade Remove the Agro-processing Bottleneck 3. Farm Level Ensure the Emergence of Genuinely Restructured Farms Strengthen Post-privatization Support Services for Farmers Regenerate Investment and Capital Accumulation Improve Coping Strategies for Weather Based Disruptions 4. Regenerate Non-agricultural Rural Development Box 3. Focus on Institution Building: Rural Development Strategy for the Peruvian Sierras One of the three major objectives of the strategy for Peru Sierras is building up institutions to sustain growth and social protection, enhance the capacity of people in rural sierra to manage their own local affairs, to improve the quality of life, and to promote self-esteem. Detailed institutional development action plans are provided for all segments of rural institutions such as: • Sub-national state institutions • National government institutions • Community level organizations • Business line organizations • Civil society organizations

b. Poverty and income inequality All strategies address poverty issues. The degree of poverty focus, however, is quite diverse. Many strategies remain at the level of general statements and the vague declaration of poverty alleviation as an objective. In general, the underlying rural poverty analysis is superficial. Rural income inequalities are only marginally addressed and presented only in a few strategies among

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those studied. The national strategy for Albania is a good example of appropriate poverty focus and comprehensive poverty analysis.

c. Agriculture Agriculture is treated by all strategies as the major potential source of economic growth in rural areas. Agriculture is understandably the central focus in most of the African strategies. It is important to underscore, however, that agricultural development issues do not dominate most of the other strategies beyond the scope that they deserve. Even in the African strategies the treatment of agriculture remains on the sectoral level and detailed options in agricultural technologies and the commodity specific actions required in agriculture are not elaborated in most studies (Box 4). In many cases, however, the overall strategy is supported by a number of subsectoral strategies, which elaborate detailed projections and technological options for the main branches of agricultural production. Box 4. Some Features of Agriculture Centered African Strategies Benin: Detailed analysis of multiple causes for low crop and livestock productivity and environmental degradation including poor pastoral practices and animal health. Inadequate post harvest food processing and storage facilities are also discussed together with actions required to slow down the deterioration of fishery resources. Nigeria: Multi-sectoral strategy with strong focus on agriculture. Specific measures to enhance productivity are elaborated in detail together with strategies for research, extension and irrigation developments. Most detailed on agriculture technologies in the sample. Niger: Good coverage of agricultural productivity and environmental degradation challenges without addressing the details of farming and production technologies. Uganda: Substantive discussion of low productivity, multiple constraints including structural weaknesses. Lesotho: Comprehensive assessment of technical, technological problems and constraints in the crop and livestock sectors. Sierra Leone: Detailed assessment of causes for low productivity in the crop and livestock sectors such as low quality of planting materials, poor technology, high post harvest losses, poor quality of breeding stock, poor husbandry practices and veterinary services. All of these are exaggerated by the impacts of conflicts in the country.

d. Non-farm rural activities About half of the strategies acknowledge the importance of non-farm rural activities and provide specific proposals in this regard. The national strategies of Mongolia and Niger provide good

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examples of the treatment of this subject. The other half, however, treat non-farm rural activities in a rather marginal way. A few even completely neglect this important topic.

e. Rural infrastructure, rural services (education, health, social services) All the strategies that incorporate a holistic approach in the sample treat these issues as essential components of rural development. Some of the strategies have even a strong emphasis in this area. Strategies developed for Peru and Albania treat this area in especially great detail. Those strategies that focused on policies and agriculture often neglected these very important issues, or gave them only a cursory glance, however.

f. Natural resources and environment With the exception of two strategies, that give significant attention to wildlife, fisheries, and forestry issues, none of the strategies gives much attention to these critical issues. This is an important general shortcoming in the sample, but this may reflect the fact that, in many countries, self-standing environmental and natural resource management strategies have already been crafted.

g. Risk and vulnerability The strategies with a greater degree of poverty orientation treat these issues with the attention they deserve, and some even provide important recommendations in this area. In the majority of strategies, however, risk and vulnerability issues, similarly to the analysis of rural income inequalities, are given short shrift and are treated with less than adequate attention expected in a rural development strategy.

h. Gender and minority issues Only a few strategies give full recognition of the importance of gender and minority issues by providing meaningful proposals. The best examples are the Vietnam and Peru strategies. The majority of strategies do not cover these issues at all, or just mention them briefly. Considering the importance of the roles of women and minorities in many of the countries represented in the sample, this is a severe oversight. Proposals, Prioritization and Implementation All the strategies include a large number of proposals and recommendations. However, in most cases, these recommendations are not compiled in a comprehensive and fully-fledged strategy and action plan. Only a few of the strategies prioritized the proposed actions and only six provide detailed programs for implementation that include assignment of responsibilities. Proposals and strategy elements are qualitatively defined across the sample. Quantitative benchmarks and targets are set only by one of the strategies. None of the strategies provide even a vague estimation of the costs or related expenditures to realize the programs outlined. Accordingly, these strategies can hardly be considered as operational documents that could be used for direct strategy implementation.

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There are no uniform views among task managers how far the strategy documents should go into the details of implementation. The majority view is that the role of a strategy is to provide strategic directions, overall objectives and describe actions to achieve these objectives and not to be a detailed implementation plan. The overall strategy, however, needs to be supplemented with a business plan which provides prioritization and a detailed time bound implementation plan which is linked to the budgetary process of the given country. The business plan needs to elaborate focused and phased programs which are ready for implementation, rather than a shopping list. Financing of the implementation of the business plan is an essential issue. In the least developed countries, donor support needs to be organized to provide most of the needed financial resources. Box 5 outlines the principles developed for donor coordination in the Yemen strategy. Most of the strategies reviewed, however, do not elaborate on this and do not seem to be used as a working document to mobilize a coordinated donor support. Box 5. Yemen: Strategy for Donor Coordination Guiding principles elaborated in the Yemen Rural Development Strategy for donor assistance: • Assistance based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the PRSP: All aid

agencies in Yemen agree to using the MDGs and the country PRSP as the framework for their intervention in the country in general and in rural areas in particular.

• Targeting the poorest governorates and districts where foreign financing was formerly limited due to the difficult social environment and limited natural resources.

• Focusing on key sectors. Water resource management, primary education, (especially girls' education), access to basic social and economic services, and civil service reform are among the top sectoral priorities of major aid agencies.

• Coordination by governmental institutions. Governmental institutions, supported by donor "alliances", increasingly coordinate donor assistance (rural water and sanitation group, the Education for All, Fast-Track Initiative, the Civil Services Reform Program, the decentralization group, the water sector reform group).

• Moving from projects implemented by PMUs to programs implemented by governmental institutions. The Bank and other donors are looking for new implementation mechanisms to move away from implementing projects through PMUs towards working directly with administrative services at the national and local levels.

• Supporting the implementation of the Decentralization Law. Most aid agencies are encouraging existing projects to work through local authorities. They are concerned about the impact of decentralization on civil service reform.

• Combining community-based, demand-driven planning with supply of knowledge, awareness, and technical and analytical skills. Most donors supporting community-based, demand-driven approaches are faced with the dilemma of resource allocation biased towards the most organized and informed communities. Information, public awareness, capacity building, in-need analysis and project formulation and implementation is increasingly considered to be an integral part of participatory development (a "two-way street").

• From financial transfer to knowledge transfer. In addition to financial resource transfer, aid agencies are increasing non-lending services in the form of technical assistance and advice on critical issues.

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Monitoring and Evaluation A plan or program for monitoring or evaluation of the implementation of the proposed actions is not provided by any of the strategies reviewed. The sample strategies lack even the most rudimentary recommendations of any qualitative type of monitoring. Obviously the lack of benchmarks and numerical targets puts the idea of any more detailed or defined monitoring program out of the question. One strategy (Yemen), however, presents well-defined government targets for poverty reduction, and a general monitoring and evaluation framework for assessing progress in rural development. Process and Organization Most of the strategies were developed as home grown strategies developed by local experts and working groups, and local and national governments. The Bank played a significant role in all cases. The FAO has also provided considerable help, primarily through the FAO/World Bank partnership. The FAO was a major partner in four cases. The UNDP, DFID, OECD and IFPRI also collaborated in individual cases. It is safe to say, however, that, in about half of the cases, no donor agencies other than the Bank collaborated with country partners in drafting the documents. The available documents do not give any information on the financing of the strategy exercise. In addition to Bank financing, some of the strategy projects were supported by BNPP funds (Yemen, Benin, Vietnam). The Mongolia strategy gives an example of an effective strategy development process (Box 6). Stakeholder Participation It is somewhat disappointing that broader stakeholder participation and consultations with those who are impacted upon by the strategies was not uniformly strong in the preparation of all the documents reviewed. Some of the strategies are excellent examples of effective consultations and dialog with the stakeholders. In an extreme case (Vietnam) the strategy itself is a summary of the outcome of structured consultations with stakeholders. These are the strategies which include strong poverty orientations and fully-fledged holistic approaches. Only about half of the nineteen strategies fall under this category. The strategies which are more academic in nature and have a greater agricultural focus, as well as a sophisticated analytical base, were generally developed without intensive consultation. At best, there was consultation only to discuss and disseminate the final product.

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Box 6. Mongolia: Iterative and Participatory Strategy Development Process Rarely is the World Bank or its clients in a position of beginning with a 'clean slate' in crafting county-specific rural strategies. The Bank-supported Mongolia rural development program provides a clear illustration of the way in which ongoing analytical, lending, and technical assistance activities can help to shape rural strategy in an iterative fashion. Bank support for rural development in Mongolia since its inception in the early 1990s has always been strongly poverty-focused. An intensive learning process over 1999-2000 to review lessons learned under the Bank-and UNDP-supported National Poverty Alleviation Program identified opportunities to re-shape Mongolia's approach to poverty reduction by focusing on more sustainable, market- and demand-led approaches to building and managing the assets that people need for livelihood security, rather than on income transfers alone. Against this background, the Bank took the lead within a group of concerned agencies, again including UNDP, ADB, DFID and FAO, to facilitate a country-owned Rural Development Strategy in 2002 as an input to Mongolia's then evolving Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The process was led by and for Mongolians, and through a series of consultation meetings from local up to national level, involving a wide range of stakeholders including herders and farmers, rural enterprises and other private sector institutions, and several line ministries and other public bodies, consensus was reached for the first time around a shred, outcome-oriented vision of rural change. This draft strategy reinforced the findings of the country wide poverty reduction strategy, and fleshed out some of the details of how they might be realized in practice. Features of the Mongolia rural strategy process: • CG working group on RD • UNDP/Government national conference late 2001 activity 'wish-lists’ from concerned line

ministries. • Support for development of rural strategy therefore adopted a facilitated Log Frame

approach. • Wide public consultations (focus groups, etc.). • Series of workshops, culminating in a national workshop in October 2002. • Process supported by a full-time ‘facilitation unit’, housed in MOFA with support from

World Bank, FAO/CP and DFID. • Excellent local consultants with international ‘mentors’ in back-seat roles. Sub-national Strategies, Decentralization Sub-national strategies can play an important role under specific circumstances. First, in large diverse countries, the sub-national approach to strategies often is the appropriate method to craft objectives which can be identified with a relatively homogenous geography, population and political structure. In situations where there is a low capacity and/or low buy-in at central level again strategies might be developed at sub national level to link the rural strategy process to state or governorate level planning processes. Obviously sub-national strategies have to be consistent

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with broader national policies. The proper implementation of sub-national strategies requires a degree of decentralization in the given country. Decentralization has not been treated as a major direction in realizing major rural development objectives in the majority of the strategies in the sample. There are however good examples as well. The strategy for Yemen includes a decentralized, subnational approach for implementing the overall strategy (Box 7). Box 7. Republic of Yemen: Rural/Local Development Strategy In Yemen, under the medium and long term vision elaborated in the nationwide Second –Five Year Plan and PRSP, a so called Rural-Local Development Strategy /RLDS/was develop to address the rural urban imbalance and to focus resources on regions and subsectors which have been neglected in the past in order to achieve Millennium Development Goals at the district level. RLDS presents a framework for implementing the PRSP in rural areas through the preparation and implementation of District Development Plans within the framework of the Law concerning Local Authority. The RLDS addresses prioritization and implementation issues in rural areas at the water basin, governorate, district and community levels. RLDS builds upon the strengthening of local authorities and decentralization. The RLDS supports good governance at the district and governorate levels by putting special emphasis on O and M of public assets by local authorities and community organizations through promoting community participation. The implementation of RLDS will be guided by the following principles: • Subsidiarity – decision should be taken at the lowest level of organization possible;

• Accountability and fiscal responsibility – decision responsibility should be linked to fiscal responsibility;

• Partnership and contractual development of good governance – external support is linked to governance performance;

• Sustainability through adequate institutional arrangements; and

• Realism and pragmatism – community development should continue in districts with no capacity, while capacity is built up in local authorities to improve local development.

Task managers shared important insights on the importance of decentralization and the balance between central direction and control and decentralized consultation and implementation in the process of rural development in general. In a small country, decentralization may not be that significant. For decentralized implementation to bear fruit, strong central direction is essential for it lays down the basic rules of the game, and shapes the overall regulatory and incentive environment which necessarily impacts on behavior at local levels. Furthermore, political decentralization must be accompanied by budgetary decentralization to be effective.

Outcome and Impact The major outcomes of the various national strategy development projects are available in a written form. These documents were mostly translated into the national languages and in about

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half of the cases were published. Given the long-term nature of the process of formulating and implementing rural development strategies, it is not easy, to provide a clear assessment of the impact of these strategies at this early stage. • Most of the strategies were linked to the PRSP and to Bank processes, mainly to CASs. One of the major outcomes is the improved rural content of these documents, which contributed to a number of Bank operations in rural space and in agriculture. Box 8 gives an account of the use of national strategies in the PRSP process. Box 8. PRSPs and National Strategies A review of rural themes in 32 full PRSPs (approved FY2000-2004) that was carried out by ARD showed that one-quarter of them referred to a process of developing national rural or agricultural strategies under way in the country. The strategic objectives of these national strategies focused on agriculture and non-farm sector growth, regional inequalities and poverty reduction. Agriculture-related objectives often focused on export crops and markets, but also food and livestock production and food security. Most of the PRSPs that discussed sector strategies were prepared in the Africa region. Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Ethiopia give the most detailed account of their objectives. With the exception of Cameroon, the PRSPs then clearly built on the national strategic objectives for the sector and translated these into detailed priority actions. It is possible that more countries are preparing rural or agriculture sector strategies but are not elaborating this process in the PRSP, which would indicate a lack of integration of the PRSP process with ongoing national planning process (A Review of Rural Development Aspects of PRSPs and PRSCs, 2000-2004, ARD Internal Paper). • With a few exceptions the national strategies were linked to national planning processes and had a direct impact on government objectives and plans in agriculture and rural development. It is however less obvious the extent to which these plans were implemented and followed-up. Out of the nineteen strategies, there are only 4-5 cases where a clear impact upon national decisions can be verified. For example, in Uganda, an important impact is that this process improved the effectiveness of aid coordination. In addition, sector expenditures are now aligned to focus on specific outcomes identified as priorities. Finally, the implementation of the strategy is completely changing the way things are done in the field of agricultural research and advisory services. • One of the major impacts in most of the countries has been the strategy preparation process itself. The strategy preparation provided an opportunity to enhance local capacities in policy analysis and rural development and transferred significant international experience to the respective countries. Counterparts are particularly interested in learning how other countries have demarcated public and private sector roles, and for given goals, how governments have proceeded to achieve them. There is also more disciplined prioritization in the use of donor funds.

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• The completion of a national strategy, even if it did not have direct impact upon government decisions, opened an avenue for further analytical work and initiated activities in the rural sector. • Most of the strategy preparation process involved various groups of stakeholders and NGOs, and in this way facilitated the inclusion of rural people in policy-making processes. However, the extent to which views from local stakeholders actually get translated in the country’s development agenda can depend largely on the country’s dependence of donor funds. The higher the country’s fiscal dependence, the less its ability to maintain control over its rural development agenda.

Constraints and Bottlenecks The review process has identified a few critical bottlenecks in strategy preparation and in the implementation process: • In most cases the Ministry of Agriculture has not proved to be an effective partner to collaborate with. Most of the best strategies were prepared in cooperation with a number of government agencies, often the Ministry of Agriculture not being the lead counterpart agency. • An important precondition of the success seems to be to find a “champion” on the government side which is able to orchestrate a desired degree of support and leadership on development side. • The preparation, especially the implementation, of the national strategies can be very strongly influenced by political changes in the respective countries. A number of good strategies have not been followed up locally because of change in the government after its preparation. A broader national ownership than the government or with parliamentarians alone can guarantee more sustained implementation. • The environment in the Bank can also be a constraint mostly in the preparation and implementation. A sudden change in task management or in country director positions might have a negative impact on following up even of a very good strategy.

Conclusions and Recommendations In general, the reviewed set of national strategies reflects progress, in terms of both quantity and quality, in supporting the development of national strategies in Bank client countries. It indicates that objectives set in Reaching the Rural Poor regarding the support to national strategies have been largely realized and actual results in this area are greater than expected. The review takes note of the multi-faceted approach and use of different methods attuned to the country specific conditions. The diversity of approaches is definitely a strength of the Bank-supported efforts, rather than a short-coming. The individual strategies reflect a shared conceptual framework and common outlook of rural development, which is adapted to the specific needs and conditions of individual countries.

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At the same time, the review highlights some areas of concern where further improvements could be undertaken: • National strategies need to be fully ‘home grown’ and linked to national and donor-supported development processes. While it is fully recognized that Government “ownership” is essential for eventual success, the Bank can, through its design of operations, financing support and continuity of management and staff support, nurture this ownership. Hence, abrupt changes and reversals in Bank management should be avoided to the extent possible. • The analytical foundations and the quality of diagnosis require more attention and should meet minimum standards; • National strategies need to be real strategies that can be translated into operations. They should include a consistent set of objectives, combined with benchmarks, quantitative performance targets, prioritization, and clear timetables for implementation; • A comprehensive program of implementation, and monitoring and evaluation have to be essential parts of every strategy; • Effective implementation of national strategies requires linking a rural strategy to Public Expenditure Reviews and link actions to Midterm Expenditure Framework. • Rural development strategies must be truly holistic in approach with greater attention to a number of areas which are often neglected in current efforts: (a) non-farm rural economy, (b) natural resource management and environment, (c) gender and minority issues, and (d) decentralization. However, the holism must also be the product of an analytical process and not of a “shopping list” or “Christmas tree” approach. It must help focus implementation rather than make it diffuse and overly complex. • Participation of stakeholders must be a uniform characteristic of all national strategy development. However, there is a risk that high debt-dependence may result in donors’ priorities being translated into the rural development agenda rather than stakeholders’ priorities. Also participation and decentralization must not be interpreted as the absence of strong central direction which is needed to shape the overall economic and regulatory environment and setting down the basic rules of the game.

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Table 1 – AFRICA Major Characteristics of National Strategies Reviewed

Issues Benin Lesotho Niger Nigeria Sierra Leone Tanzania Uganda Alignment with wider National Planning Process including PRSPS and CAS

It is an updated version of an earlier rural development strategy of the government compiled in 2001. It was an input to the PSP in 2002

Developed (July 2003) along lines set out in the National Vision, and is a component of the PRSP

Prepared in the context of the PRSP (2002-2005), process supported by and submitted to donors in January 2002.

Prepared in the context of the PRSP (2002-2005), process supported by and submitted to donors in January 2002

The Agriculture Sector Note was developed in the context of several nation-wide strategic initiatives: an I-PSRP of 2002, A National Recovery Strategy of October 2002, a HIPC Decision point, and a Transitional Support Strategy (TSS) of 2002-2003, and a National Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration program of 2003.

Prepared in the context of broad macro economic adjustments, the PRSP, and the RDS; these and other related exercises supported by donors

A component of Government’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP, 1997), and launched in December 2000

Coverage and approach

Mainly agricultural coverage with a strong overall macro-economic institutional context

Focus on the transformation of subsistence agriculture into commercial agriculture in an open economy setting

Covers all regions, activities in the rural space (agriculture, livestock, petty trade, etc.), and their multiple causes.

Covers all regions, activities in the rural space (agriculture, livestock, petty trade, etc.), and their multiple causes.

Focuses on performance of agriculture – crops, livestock, fisheries – within the policy and institutional environment of the sector.

The ASDS (Agric. Sector Dev. Strategy, 2001) is a comprehensive assessment of agriculture with focus on agriculture development as a necessary component of an overall poverty reduction strategy

A multi-sector, holistic approach focused on transforming agriculture from subsistence to commercial. Agricultural transformation viewed as essential for overall rural development.

Analytical foundation - diagnosis

Mainly descriptive Mainly descriptive, with qualitative and quantitative data.

Qualitative and quantitative, mainly descriptive.

Qualitative and quantitative, mainly descriptive

Qualitative and quantitative, with 2003 estimates of comparative advantage for major crops at different technology levels.

Systematic assessment of agriculture’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Based on the Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment (1999), & extensive consultations with the poor, especially subsistence farmers

Proposals and prioritization of actions

Eight priority programs were earlier identified while this document does not

General proposals with broad time frames but without any prioritization of actions.

Clearly formulated action plan with detailed prioritization.

Clearly formulated action plan with detailed prioritization

Key elements of a medium-term agricultural development strategy during the transition period (next 3-5 years).

Specific proposals with priorities identified and a time frame attached.

Priority areas for action identified and a sequencing of actions proposed.

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Table 1 – AFRICA have a clear prioritization and action plan

Monitoring and Evaluation

The objectives are set with linkage to regional and national level goals but no qualitative outcome and performance targets are set

Regular assessments are envisaged in terms of situation reports but no explicit M&E mechanism proposed.

System to be set up at 3 levels but no qualitative outcome and performance targets set.

System to be set up at 3 levels but no qualitative outcome and performance targets set

No mention. Different levels of monitoring and evaluation with the responsibility for M&E of the ASDS under the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee (ICC).

A methodology for M&E envisaged for each priority area.

Process and organization

The strategy is a result of a number of roundtable discussions with groups of stakeholders

Government leadership throughout with donor assistance envisaged.

Strategy is result of joint effort of several government agencies, extensive consultation and IDA support.

Strategy is result of joint effort of several government agencies, extensive consultation and IDA support

No mention of how agricultural strategy was arrived at or whether it has been officially endorsed.

Government leadership supported by donors.

Strong government leadership throughout with support from donors.

Participation of stakeholders

Excessive stakeholder participation in the preparatory stage and implementation

Participation of stakeholders down to the level of districts and community levels through the development of District Economic Strategies.

Extensive stakeholder participation in preparatory process.

Extensive stakeholder participation in preparatory process

No mention of stakeholder participation in preparation of the sector note, but emphasizes need for decentralization, and to give voice to vulnerable groups, in particular marginalized rural male youth, and women.

Extensive consultation with wide range of stakeholders.

Dialogue with the stakeholders throughout.

Partnership with other donors and development agencies

Other donors and development agencies contribution is unclear

Donor support alluded to but no specific mention made.

Input from other donors and development agencies in preparation of PRSP, and for the rural strategy.

Input from other donors and development agencies in preparation of PRSP, and for the rural strategy

No mention of such partnership in the development of this sector note.

Strong support of development partners throughout process.

Extensive donor support throughout

Strategy content - policies, institutions

Focus on government structuring and policies to promote incentives for private sector

Some reference to misguided policies of central government and deep-seated institutional weaknesses which inhibit

Focus on strengthening institutions dealing with rural sector, and local (community & producers) organizations.

Focus on strengthening institutions dealing with rural sector, and local (community & producers) organizations

Major importance given to the restructuring of the role of the State, and the strengthening of basic market and public service delivery institutions.

Emphasis on key importance of overall macro and trade framework, as well as on institutional, legal and regulatory environment.

Emphasis on the importance of macro-trade framework as well as overall legal and regulatory environment affecting private

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Table 1 – AFRICA implementation. business, and

smallholders - poverty and income inequality

Quantitative assessment of different dimensions of poverty but no detailed analysis and mapping

Referred to but discussed in depth elsewhere (in PRSP) not in this strategy document.

Quantitative assessments of poverty but no detailed analysis and mapping.

Quantitative assessments of poverty but no detailed analysis and mapping

Brief but very informative quantitative assessments of extensive poverty, rural and urban.

Only basic facts on poverty and rural poverty given. Refers to links to the RDS & PRSP.

Multiple dimensions of poverty, in different regions, and within households.

- agriculture and food processing

Detailed analysis of the causes for lower agricultural productivity and environmental degradation including the analysis of poor technological processes and animal harsh conditions. Strong coverage of fishery resources

Informative assessment of technical problems and constraints of agriculture (crops & livestock).

Good coverage of agricultural productivity and environmental degradation challenges without addressing details of farming and production technologies.

Good coverage of agricultural productivity and environmental degradation challenges without addressing details of farming and production technologies

Major causes for low productivity in crop (planting and post-harvest) and livestock yields and fish catches, include the devastation of war, use of low quality planting material, poor cultural practices, high post-harvest losses & age of trees. For livestock, major causes include poor quality of breeding stock, of husbandry practices and of veterinary services. For fisheries, major causes include uses of non-efficient boats and low skill levels.

Informative, in-depth discussion of strengths & weaknesses

Substantive discussion of low productivity, multiple constraints, including structural weaknesses.

-non-farm rural activities

Importance of access to non-farm activities acknowledged but little discussion elsewhere

Referred to as important but not discussed fully.

Some details provided in addition to acknowledging importance of improved access.

Some details provided in addition to acknowledging importance of improved access

Importance acknowledged especially during the sector’s transition from resettlement into the recovery and development phases.

Mentioned only marginally.

Not covered.

- rural infrastructure

Strong emphasis on the impact of poor state of rural infrastructure

Not explicitly discussed; implicit in discussion of underdeveloped marketing.

Much emphasis on isolation caused by poor state of rural infrastructure.

Much emphasis on isolation caused by poor state of rural infrastructure

Emphasis on the high transaction costs due to poor rural infrastructure.

An oft repeated constraint, one of the strategy priorities.

A priority constraint according to farmers.

- rural services (education, health, social)

Importance of rural services acknowledged but little details provided

Not explicitly discussed.

Importance of poor access to basic services acknowledged.

Importance of poor access to basic services acknowledged

Mention of poor state of these services resulting in poor level of social indicators but no detailed discussion as focus is on

Focus only on agriculture – related services.

Strong focus on need to improve basic services.

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Table 1 – AFRICA agriculture.

- natural resource management and environment

Strong emphasis on resolving conflicts between cultivators and herders to regain soil fertility, reduced deforestation and arrest environmental degradation

Identified as an important issue to address to increase production and productivity.

Strong emphasis on reducing desertification and environmental degradation.

Strong emphasis on reducing desertification and environmental degradation

Emphasis on the fragility of the well-endowed natural resource base (cultivable land, forestry and fisheries) and the need for better environmental management.

Coordinates with the multi-sector National Environment Policy.

Importance acknowledged and actions proposed.

- risk and vulnerability

Importance is acknowledged without specific recommendations.

Weather-related risks identified as important.

Diversification, irrigation, access to food stocks, and greater policy stability to reduce this key dimension of poverty.

Diversification, irrigation, access to food stocks, and greater policy stability to reduce this key dimension of poverty

Widespread food insecurity at national and household levels is major source of risk and vulnerability as more than 70 percent of population, are food insecure especially among women and children.

Mentioned only marginally.

Studies to be undertaken and policies developed.

- gender and at risk populations

Expanding female education and improved access to services emphasized

Strong emphasis on assisting the population of youth and seniors especially hurt by HIV AIDS.

Expanding female education emphasized.

Expanding female education emphasized

Emphasis on the need to redress the deep discrimination against women (in particular widows with no male heir) in a traditional rural setting as women will play a central role in the revitalization of agriculture since men typically migrate to non-farm job opportunities.

Gender sensitive interventions are proposed.

Strong discussion of gender issues and the need to address deep-seated cultural biases

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Table 2: East Asia and the Pacific

Major Characteristics of National Strategies Reviewed Issues Mongolia Vietnam

National Planning Process including PRSPS and CAS Direct input to the PRSP, CAS and to national planning process.

Prepared in conjunction with PRSP as a comprehensive poverty reduction framework.

Coverage and approach Covers all regions in one comprehensive structure. Fully articulated holistic approach to rural development including all segments and actors in rural space.

A series of 3 reports describes comprehensive consultations with poor communities and local officials on actions to reduce poverty and provides country-wide coverage with partial rural emphasis.

Analytical foundation – diagnosis Mainly descriptive rather than prescriptive. Lack of strong analytical and statistical foundation.

Surveys, focus group discussions, and results of stakeholder consultations provide the analytical foundation of the report.

Proposals and prioritization of actions Very detailed, though somewhat general, action plan with good prioritization and assignment of responsibilities.

Recommendations are provided for specific regions and sub-regions.

Monitoring and evaluation Decent attempt to create monitoring indicators and process for verification. Most targets however, are qualitative and not easily verifiable.

A methodology to verify conclusions of stakeholder consultations are provided.

Process and organization Process driven by government, supported by IBRD, UNDP, FAO, and DFID.

Consultations organized under guidance of government NGO task force, including IBRD

Participation of stakeholders Consultation with broader stakeholders at beginning, and at conclusion of preparatory process.

Dialogue with the stakeholders was the core of the exercise.

Partnership with other donors and development agencies Intensive multi-agency cooperation in preparation between government and international donors (IBRD, FAO, UNDP, and DFID).

In addition to IBRD, a number of international organizations and NGOs participated.

Strategy Content - policies, institutions Detailed coverage of both policies and institutions

(including legal framework). Policies and institutions covered in a special fashion as a result of consultations.

- poverty and income inequality Strong poverty focus with detailed poverty analysis and mapping.

Poverty and income inequality are focus of consultations.

- agriculture and food processing Appropriate attention to agriculture including well elaborated recommendations but without technological and statistical details.

Not covered directly.

- non-farm rural activities Comprehensive coverage with strong attention to rural markets and marketing of agricultural products.

Not covered directly.

- rural infrastructure Specific programs for actions. Number of proposals elaborated. - rural services (education, health, social) Strong emphasis with detailed assessment and proposals. Strong focus on education and health. - natural resource management and environment A significant part of the strategy relates to wildlife,

fisheries, and forestry. Not covered directly.

- risk and vulnerability Detailed action plan. A significant aspect of the consultations. - gender and at risk populations

Well elaborated coverage with proposals. Strong discussion of gender issues.

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Table 3 – Europe and Central Asia Major Characteristics of National Strategies Reviewed

Albania Moldova Ukraine Uzbekistan National Planning Process including PRSPS and CAS

Prepared to support government national planning in conjunction with PRSP

Prepared in 2001 as an agricultural strategy for the World Bank in conjunction with PRSP, CAS and the Government’s National Strategy for Agriculture and Agro-processing Development

Background for national agricultural policy decisions and for WTO negotiations, as well as foundations for the CAS.

Provide foundation for the process of rural strategy development by government and for CAS and CEM. The work had significant impact on recent presidential decree on the concept of farm development.

Coverage and approach Holistic multi-sectoral approach Agricultural focus with modest rural coverage

A strong focus on agricultural policies while covering the entire rural sector and all regions in country in a full-fledged strategy document.

National coverage within framework of 2 studies: a) cropping pattern adjustment; b) deregulating farm management, state marketing of wheat and cotton.

Analytical foundation – diagnosis Traditional descriptive approach Traditional descriptive analysis Extensive use of surveys and sophisticated analytical tools. First time PSE coefficients calculated for Ukraine.

Strong empirical foundation in both studies with strong international comparison.

Proposals and prioritization of actions

Well elaborated strategy objectives with prioritization and implementation matrix

Well elaborated strategic objectives without prioritization and time scale

Rich in recommendations, with some prioritization.

Well elaborated action plans with prioritization and timeframe.

Monitoring and evaluation No numerical targets are set and no program for monitoring and evaluation

No numerical targets are set and no program for monitoring and evaluation

No quantitative outcome and performance targets or benchmarks set.

No monitoring framework provided.

Process and organization Prepared with direct linkage with the government

Entirely Bank product without any direct government involvement

Agricultural policy unit of the cabinet of ministers was the key locus in the preparation supported by IBRD and OECD.

Cooperative work between the government – specifically Ministry of Agriculture, IBRD and FAO

Participation of stakeholders A number of interactions with stakeholders

Limited stakeholders participation through interviews made by the study team

Consultation with broad range of stakeholders at the beginning of the preparation and at final draft.

None.

Partnership with other donors and development agencies

Limited cooperation with other local donors

Document does not indicate direct input from other donors and development agencies in preparation.

OECD was major partner to Government and IBRD in strategy preparation, which received significant support from USAID

FAO

Strategy Content - policies, institutions Detailed coverage of both policies

and institutions Strong policy focus, but thin on institutions

Analysis of macro, trade and ag. policies is a major strength, while less attention is paid to institutions.

High quality coverage of policy and institutional issues.

- poverty and income inequality Strong poverty focus with detailed poverty analysis.

Limited poverty coverage Detailed analysis of rural poverty and rural-urban income gaps and

Partly covered, but no specific analysis.

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Table 3 – Europe and Central Asia rural poverty profiles.

- agriculture and food processing Appropriate attention to agriculture including well elaborated recommendations but without technological and statistical details.

High quality coverage of agricultural policies and productivity challenges without addressing details of farming and production technologies.

Quality coverage of agricultural and ag. related trade policies as well as land reform. Production technologies and commodities are not covered. Detailed coverage of agro-food processing.

Very detailed analysis of cotton and wheat sectors and cropping structures in general.

- non-farm rural activities Comprehensive coverage with strong attention to rural non-ag employment.

No details provided beyond acknowledging importance of issue.

Marginal coverage of these issues. Rural markets are well covered.

- rural infrastructure Specific programs for actions. No details provided beyond acknowledging importance of issue.

Detailed assessment and good proposals.

Not covered.

- rural services (education, health, social)

Strong emphasis with detailed assessment and proposals.

No details provided beyond acknowledging importance of issue.

Detailed assessment and good proposals.

Not covered.

- natural resource management and environment

A significant part of the strategy relates to natural resource management.

Only marginally addressed Not addressed Not covered.

- risk and vulnerability Importance of risk and vulnerability fully acknowledged.

Only marginally addressed Not covered.

- gender and at risk populations Well elaborated coverage with proposals.

Not addressed. Not covered.

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Table 4 – Latin America

Major Characteristics of National Strategies Reviewed Issues Bolivia Mexico - South Peru Peru - Sierra

National Planning Process including PRSPS and CAS

Prepared within the context of the National Dialogue on poverty reduction which started in 2000 and continued for several years, incl. the preparation of the PRSP of March 2001.

Prepared as technical underpinning for policy agenda to enhance development agenda in southern Mexico and to foster cooperation between federal and local government on poverty reduction

Endorsed by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (November 2003).

Provides input to the government with elements of a rural development strategy for Sierra region. Also directly feeds into CAS.

Coverage and approach Comprehensive coverage of issues, e.g., agriculture, marketing, infrastructure, land.

Subnational coverage: Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca (the 3 poorest states in Mexico).

Covers all regions – Sierra, Selva, Costa –and including all major segments and actors in rural space.

Subnational coverage with a very well-crafted holistic approach.

Analytical foundation – diagnosis Qualitative and quantitative, mainly descriptive.

Study consists of 22 policy notes, each addressing 1 specific aspect of development, most with strong rural aspect.

Qualitative and quantitative, mainly descriptive.

Other studies are used as the main source of empirical information.

Proposals and prioritization of actions

Substantive recommendations, with different time frames.

Very well crafted overall recommendations, with sufficient detail to assist in implementation.

Extensive list of actions to be prioritized upon further consultation with stakeholders.

Well crafted proposals highlighting the main national actors as well as areas for IBRD involvement.

Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring envisaged. Selected quantitative outcome and performance targets set for next 5 years.

None. No quantitative targets set or monitoring or evaluation system to be set up.

No benchmarks or monitoring indicators provided.

Process and organization Inter-Ministerial Committee in charge of implementation; to work with different levels of government.

Government and IBRD collaboration with heavy use of local experts.

Process driven by the Government of Alejandro Toledo (mid July 2001).

Prepared by national experts with international support (IBRD, FAO).

Participation of stakeholders Extensive consultation with broad range of stakeholders throughout process.

No information available. Broad-based consultation with stakeholders at the beginning, during dissemination and planned during implementation.

Very strong stakeholder and NGO involvement. 3 expert consultation meetings and 9 consultations with rural people.

Partnership with other donors and development agencies

Substantial support from many donors; e.g., World Bank, IDB, EU, USAID.

No information available. Extensive consultation between government agencies and various civil society organizations; the Bank & other donors participated in these mesas or roundtables.

FAO

Strategy Content - policies, institutions Focus on domestic and foreign

trade and marketing policies & weaknesses of official institutions, and local organizations.

Well thought-out overall policy recommendations.

Discussion of both policies and institutions.

Strong policy and institutional focus.

- poverty and income inequality Frequent references to poverty, inequality, and social exclusion but

Poverty reduction is primary focus of paper.

Focus on inequality in access to assets & opportunities of

Appropriate poverty focus but no detailed analytical basis.

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Table 4 – Latin America no detailed analysis of rural poverty.

indigenous and other socially discriminated & marginalized groups.

- agriculture and food processing Substantial coverage of crop, livestock, and agriculture related marketing & trade policies as well as of land issues; e.g. inequity of access, fragmentation, insecurity of tenure.

Treated as potential source of economic growth.

Appropriate attention to agriculture, incl. irrigation with well elaborated recommendations.

Well covered.

- non-farm rural activities Marginal coverage of these issues. Importance fully acknowledged. Important source of income for poor rural households acknowledged.

Handicraft production, local tourism highlighted.

- rural infrastructure Substantial emphasis on addressing rural isolation

Not covered in detail in the summary.

Geographical isolation a major constraint to be addressed.

Properly addressed.

- rural services (education, health, social)

Strong emphasis on poor access as a major constraint and substantial proposals to overcome such constraint.

Not covered in detail in the summary.

Strong emphasis with detailed assessment and proposals.

Provides a set of important recommendations.

- natural resource management and environment

Emphasis on the need to break the vicious circle of environmental degradation and poverty

Not covered in detail in the summary.

A significant part of the strategy relates to need to manage wildlife, fisheries, and forestry.

Well elaborated environmental and natural resource management sections.

- risk and vulnerability Vulnerability due to climatic, market, and poverty factors emphasized but no proposals specifically to address issue.

Not addressed in detail in the summary.

Major attention to reducing vulnerability to climatic risks.

Specific proposals for risk prevention and mitigation measures.

- gender and at risk populations

Special assistance to indigenous peoples and women proposed.

Social exclusion and conflicts in the south are specifically addressed.

Well elaborated proposals to assist women, youth and other marginalized groups

Full recognition of importance of gender and minority issues.

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Table 5: Middle East and North Africa

Major Characteristics of National Strategies Reviewed Issues Morocco Yemen

National Planning Process including PRSPS and CAS Prepared as a medium-term national strategy for rural development. Strong linkage to national planning process and CAS.

Prepared in conjunction with the 2nd 5 year plan and the PRSP to prioritize projects and provide further details of implementation in rural development. A joint undertaking of government and IBRD and provided inputs for CAS as well.

Coverage and approach Covers all regions in one comprehensive framework with partial holistic approach, strong trade policy and agricultural focus.

Holistic approach with national coverage.

Analytical foundation – diagnosis High quality analytical foundation, including modeling and scenario analysis. Strong international comparison and references to experiences in other countries and regions.

Limited direct analytical foundation and diagnostics, though it draws heavily on a number of studies providing details on specific areas.

Proposals and prioritization of actions Very well formulated action plan with detailed prioritization.

Provides specific prioritized implementation roadmap at various levels. Detailed scenarios for CAS.

Monitoring and evaluation No quantitative outcome and performance targets or benchmarks set.

Proposes GSI-based planning and monitoring tool, which, if implemented would facilitate the implementation of the strategy and general progress in rural development.

Process and organization Strategy is result of joint effort of several government agencies and IBRD in collaboration with IFPRI.

Strong government team supported by IBRD experts and by ongoing IBRD project staff.

Participation of stakeholders Limited stakeholder participation in preparatory process, while strategy calls for enhanced stakeholder participation in implementation.

No information provided on consultation or involvement of stakeholders

Partnership with other donors and development agencies Document does not indicate direct input from other donors and development agencies in preparation.

No other donor input in preparation with exception of Yemeni-German Geological Mapping Project.

Strategy Content - policies, institutions Strong policy focus, but thin on institutions The overall policy framework around the rural sector is

not discussed, while there is a strong emphasis on institutional hierarchy, especially the regional framework for rural development.

- poverty and income inequality Proper attention to poverty issues, but no detailed analysis and mapping.

Superficial coverage.

- agriculture and food processing High quality coverage of agricultural policies and productivity challenges without addressing details of farming and production technologies.

Covered only in an aggregate way.

- non-farm rural activities No details provided beyond acknowledging importance of issue.

Mentioned only marginally.

- rural infrastructure No details provided beyond acknowledging importance of issue.

One of the strategy priorities.

- rural services (education, health, social) No details provided beyond acknowledging importance Detailed actions in a regional context.

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Table 5: Middle East and North Africa of issue.

- natural resource management and environment Only marginally addressed Covered, but not in great detail. - risk and vulnerability Only marginally addressed Mentioned only marginally. - gender and at risk populations

Not addressed. Gender specific objectives are set.

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Annex 1: List of Available Strategies 1. Albania Rural Development Strategy, August 20, 2002 2. Benin: Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy (in French)(April 21, 2002 3. Bolivia: National Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy (in Spanish), June 1,

2003 4. Moldova: World Bank Agriculture Strategy, June 20, 2002 5. Mongolia National Rural Development Strategy, October 1, 2002 6. Morocco: Rural Development Strategy – Integrating the two Moroccos (1997-2010):

Executive Summary, March 27, 1997 7. Niger National Rural Development Strategy (in French), March 22, 2002 8. Nigeria National Rural Development Strategy, October 1, 2001 9. Papua New Guinea: Strategies for Agricultural and Rural Development: Issues and

Challenges, May 21, 2001 10. Peru: A Rural Development Strategy for the Peruvian Sierra, June 14, 2002 11. Peru: National Rural Development Strategy (in Spanish), November 1, 2003 12. Tanzania: Agricultural Sector Development Strategy, October 1, 2001 13. Tanzania: Agriculture Sector Development Strategy, Implementation Program, October

1, 2001 14. Uganda: Plan for Modernization of Agriculture: Eradicating Poverty in Uganda 15. Uzbekistan Rural Development Strategy: Consultant reports, April 1, 2003 16. Vietnam: Refining policy with the poor: local consultations on the draft comprehensive

poverty reduction and growth strategy in Vietnam, January 31, 2003 17. Yemen: Rural/Local Development Strategy, May 12, 2003