Partnerships To Reduce Rural Poverty U.S. #8 “Empowering the poor is the foundation of rural poverty alleviation”

Types of Partnerships  Micro-level Partnerships-formal or informal arrangements between people to manage local resources  Meso-level partnerships-between the government and civil society, NGOs or the private sector  Macro-level partnerships-global arrangements  Micro and Meso Level Partnerships are needed to identify the need and demand for services and to supply them

Partnership  Between donors:  Between governments  Between donors, gov’ts., and NGOs  Between governments and NGOs  Between donors and NGOs  Between NGOs  Between donors and government Potential Successes Potential Successes Cofinancing; improved aid disbursement; knowledge sharing Sharing of natural resources and management of global public goods Delivery of services and government control Delivery of services; cost of organization and management is subsidized Delivery of services Lobbying and advocacy on behalf of the poor Influence domestic policy and capacity building

Partnerships Partnerships  Between government and people  Between NGOs and people  Between people  International and NGO Potential Successes Potential Successes Local management of natural resources Management of common property resources, increased demand for provision of public goods Relief Work

Challenges To Sustaining Long Term Institutions That Reduce Rural Poverty  Partnerships will exist only as long as both sides have something to gain  Research is needed about local practices and the learning process for the poor may be slow  Attitudes about gender relationships must be changed so that programs involve both men and women  Lack of coordination among different donors  Funding constraints and changing priorities  Inability to agree to a common strategy  Overcoming mistrust in discussing a resource  Differences among groups  Lack of social capital

Examples of Partnerships in the United States  The National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP)-local, state, tribal, federal governments, and the for-profit and nonprofit private sector  Organizations Concerned about Rural Education-a coalition of more than two dozen education, farm, rural, technology and utility organizations  Partners for Rural America (PRA)-Forty state rural development councils  Communicating for Agriculture-national, non-profit organization made up of farmers, ranchers and rural small business members in 50 states whose mission is to improve the quality of life and economic opportunity for people in agriculture and small businesses in rural America