Implications of Agenda 2030 for rural development

Published on 17 January 2017 by the Global Donor Platfrom on Rural Development (GDPRD), the study by John Barrett examines the changing context for donors engaged in agriculture and rural development towards policies and spending priorities. The inclusion of ending hunger as a specific global goal (SDG2) only strengthens the commitments to support agriculture and food security. But the role of agriculture will go beyond the implementation of this SDG. The sector is important for economic growth and the process of rural transformation and therefore connected to most of the other SDGs. In this context Agenda2030 provides the Platform with an opportunity to refresh its strategic vision on agriculture and rural development.

According to the paper, the headline issues which the Platform needs to consider seem clear: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for the rural population will require a broader approach than support to agriculture and food security alone, although the sector is likely to be central in any rural development approach in poorer countries. It is timely to rethink what such a broader approach would involve – which might be framed as rural transformation, with differing interpretations by different stakeholders. At the same time, it is clear that at country level the situation is likely to be highly diverse, complex, dynamic and potentially unique, requiring country-specific diagnostics.

The analysis of the implications of Agenda 2030 is aligned with the development of the Platform’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020. In its new strategy the Platform will coordinate all activities under the different workstreams to support the individual donor’s activities towards the implementation of the SDGs.