ALTERNATIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON ALTERNATIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN ORDER TO INCREASE A COUNTRY"S PRODUCTIVITY AS WELL AS THE INCOMES AND WELFARE OF THE RURAL POOR. MSU WILL PROVIDE TECHNICIANS IN ECONOMICS, AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, POLITICAL SCIENCE, ANTHROPOLOGY AND RURAL SOCIOLOGY. THESE TECHNICIANS WILL PREPARE A ROSTER OF RURAL DEVEL EXPERTS, RECOMMEND A MATCH OF THESE EXPERTS WITH SPECIFIC MISSION REQUESTS. MSU WILL ALSO CREATE A NETWORK OF CONSULTANTS FOR INFORMATION AND TRAINING FUNCTIONS CONNECTED WITH VARIOUS RURAL DEVEL PROGRAMS. MSU CONSULTANTS WILL ASSIST AID MISSIONS AND LDC INSTITUTIONS IN PLANNING RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. THEY WILL FOCUS ON 3-4 COUNTRIES" LONG-TERM PROGRAMS, AND ALSO ASSIST 6-10 MISSIONS PER YR ON SHORTER (2-4WK) ASSIGNMENTS. THEY WILL USE APPLIED RSRCH ON 3 OR 4 COUNTRIES SUCH AS EGYPT, JAMAICA, BANGLADESH AND POSSIBLY ONE SAHELIAN COUNTRY. THE TECHNICIANS WILL PRODUCE STATE-OF-THE-ARTPAPERS AND CASE STUDIES ON WHAT IS UNIQUE AND WHAT IS GENERALIZABLE ABOUT A PARTICULAR COUNTRY"S RURAL DEVEL PROGRAM. FOR EX., 1 MSU STAFF MEMBER WILL PRODUCE A SERIES OF PAPERS ONCHINA"S RURAL DEVEL EXPERIENCES AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR LDC"S AND DONORS. FINALLY, PROJECT INFO WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS. PAPERS WILL BE PREPARED IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH AND ARABIC. AN EXAMPLE OF EXPERIENCE-SHARING IS NOTED WITH AN MSU PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND A NIGERIAN HELPING UNIVERSITY OF WEST INDIES SOCIAL SCIENTISTS EXPLORE POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA. THIS PROJECT PAYS ONLY FOR THE COOP AGREEMENT WITH MSU, THE MGR OF THE PROJECT. COUNTRY MISSIONS RANKING THIS PROJ AS URGENT INCLUDE: GUINEA, KENYA, LIBERIA, NEPAL, PHILIPPINES, RWANDA, YEMEN. THOSE RANKING IT AS IMPORTANT ARE: BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, ECUADOR, GUYANA, KOREA, MAURITANIA, NIGER, PANAMA, RDO/YAOUNDE. Amendment of 6/1/84 retitles the project (Formerly: Alternative Rural Development Strategies; Now: Food Security in Africa), increases funding, and extends the PACD through FY87. To help African policymakers develop solutions to food security problems, MSU will carry out applied research, networking, and dissemination/training activities. Specific targets are: improved incentives to increase rural production; defined alternative roles for public and private participants in food production/marketing; and alternative uses of food aid to support food security. (PD-WAK-504) Amendment (4/87) extends PACD through 11/91 (noted in PD-AAY-874). Amendment of 2/1/89 increases Mission and Bureau funding to enable MSU to meet a strong demand for expanded services, particularly in southern Africa and the Sahel. The project will address additional issues (e.g., the relationship of food security to sustainable agriculture) and expand collaboration with other universities and academic disciplines. (PD-AAY-874)