This book was developed to assist policy makers dealing with rural poverty, food

insecurity and education challenges confronting rural people. It seeks to address the

correlation between education, training, empowerment and food security, mainly

through a number of examples from all over the world. It is about strengthening the capacity

of rural people to achieve food security. The broad background is that studies leading to the formulation of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 have shown the potential that poor people have to make their living if the right conditions are created. The challenge for the international community is to identify barriers and to create conditions for rural people to change and improve their situation. In this perspective, the way to reach food security is to strengthen the capacity of poor people. The concept of capacity is closely associated with notions such as empowerment. It is generally agreed that education in all its forms is one important pillar in such a strategy. The role of education is not only to impart knowledge and skills but also to contribute to the empowerment of people by improving their self-confidence, widen their frame of reference and give them the tools to participate in wider processes of social and economic change.

Despite the efforts of states and the international community, rural people continue to lag behind in all areas of education and are particularly vulnerable to poverty and hunger. Enrolment rates in rural areas of developing countries remain low, thereby slowing progress towards universal education. The Education for Rural People Partnership Programme aims to close the educational gap between rural and urban areas, and to to broaden access to improve the quality of basic education for rural dwellers.

This booklet sets out the principles and techniques used to develop tools specifically for the monitoring and guidance of rural education strategies. Two concerns are addressed:

How should the implementation of actions designed to reduce disparities be evaluated and monitored

How can progress achieved related to designated goals be measured in a simple, accurate manner

The guide develops a coherent set of indicators to monitor national education strategies for rural people. It promotes transparency for the use of resources allocated to the educational development of rural people. Although this publication concentrates primarily at the national level, some guidelines are also provided for establishing similar indicators at the regional level.

FAO and UNESCO-IIEP. This book examines the experience of Senar, the "National service for rural apprenticeship", which has been a pioneer in vocational education and training in rural Brazil. The service proposed provides policy-makers with interesting solutions for improving social conditions in addition to new alternatives in the areas of management and partnerships. The book reviews the many challenges that remain to be met, and draws useful lessons for other countries faced with similar conditions.

This publication presents the results of specific evaluations of selected garden-based programmes around the world. It traces the history of garden-based learning describing the philosophy and underlying theoretical framework of the approach. The aim of this review is to stimulate critical reflection and creating an international dialogue that will contribute to the creation of sustainable communities.