Typically, rapid economic growth can help reduce rural poverty. But economic growth is no panacea. Rural poverty has persisted where policies:

1) did not pay sufficient attention to improving agricultural productivity and rural services and infrastructure,

2) failed to provide rural populations with access to social services and social protection,

3) neglected the development of rural producer and consumer organizations, and

4) ignored women’s specific challenges in accessing productive resources and social services.

Climate change, population growth and migration are putting disproportionate pressure on the rural poor where livelihoods are already the least resilient. For poverty solutions to be effective in the long-term, agriculture and rural livelihoods must take into account sound management of natural resources and biodiverse ecosystems. Otherwise, these natural resources will be depleted at the detriment of future generations.