FAO, the Ford Foundation and IFAD organized an International Conference at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, during March 2007 on the subject of "Rural Finance Research: Moving Results into Policy and Practice".

The ultimate aim of the conference was a wider use of research results in rural finance policy and decision making processes. Nearly 200 individuals from universities and research institutes, governments, central banks, financial institutions, donor and technical agencies, and the NGO community participated in the conference. The conference agenda was designed to enable participants to:

• review and take stock of research on key rural finance innovations in order to enumerate what has worked and why, and highlight opportunities and challenges for scaling up well-proven approaches;
• identify important empirical issues in rural finance for future exploration and study;
• discuss ways to improve research quality as well as the communication, dissemination, and use of research findings;
• define strategies to strengthen ties between research and policy and decision-making processes in the field of rural finance; and,
• explore ways to foster dialogue and partnership among researchers at an international level.

The conference papers can be viewed in the Rural Finance Learning Centre and on the Conference Website.

An e-conference was held between 16 - 29 May, 2007 to continue the debate. All posting and contributions to the e-conference can be viewed in the Rural Finance Learning Centre. Go to...