The FAO led Education for Rural People (ERP) Partnership launched during the World Summit for Sustainable Development (2002) contributes to removing barriers that prevent poor people from using their capacity as part of FAO worldwide call to action to foster rural peoples’ capacity to be food secure and to manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. 

ERP is a research-based policy approach promoting multisectoral alliances between ministries of education and agriculture and related stakeholders and advocating for increased access to improved quality education and skills training for all rural adults, youth and children.

ERP works through the identification of political, institutional, organizational and individual opportunities and constraints that poor people face in developing their capacity and accessing education and training services at all levels of education, in both formal and non-formal settings.

It works through a network of more than 400 partners including governments, international agencies, universities, civil society, the media and the private sector. 

The ERP site also provides learning, for people searching for capacity development opportunities in agriculture education. The ERP web site  includes a tool kit in six languages (http://www.fao.org/erp/erp-toolkit-en/en/) providing education and training materials for rural teachers, technicians, instructors, trainers, parents, researchers, extensionists and others involved in formal and non formal education for rural people.