The paper is organized into four sections. The next section deals with the distinction used in this paper between the terms organizations and institutions. Based on this distinction, it introduces a proposal for dividing institutions into five related but distinct [...]

FAO´s Strategic Framework for 2000-2015 identifies market imperfections, weaknesses in support institutions and an unfavourable policy environment as key factors that hamper the mobilization of resources for agriculture and rural developmen.  Needed is to create a policy and institutional environment [...]

The involvement of governments and parastatals in the national economies has been harmful in many ways and as a result, they are called upon to intervene less, and to let markets work. In a number of countries, government policy has [...]

In the present issue, a large proportion of the columns will be been devoted to the Reflection and Self-Evaluation Workshop held in Brussels on 16-18 October with the partners of the Dimitra Project

This publication is the third in a series of FAO field manuals on small farmer group development. The first two, The group promoter’s resource book (FAO, 1994) and The group enterprise resource book (FAO, 1995), cover group formation and group [...]