Guidelines for evaluation of rural developemnt experiences in Africa (ERDEA) : Workshop on planning and implementation techniques for participatory rural development in Africa

Abstract

Among the most tragic events on the world scene during the 1980s has been the hunger in Africa, publicity viewed and witnessed by millions of people the world over So much continues to be said of this recurring hunger in words, in pictures, in summit meetings and conferences as well as in private and public anguish. But, despite the litany of explanations and protestations, hundreds and thousands of people starve each year, many through open hunger and many more through a slow and silent process of starvation caused by the malfunctioning of the institutions related to food systems. One author, while discussing the reasons for drought among other disasters facing the African people, strongly stated that The political and economic disorganization of subsistence production as well as its stagnant properties, the real foundations of vulnerability to famine, are consequences of the unresponsive nature of the socio-economic and political forces which perpetuate the political and economic weaknesses of the peasant world and render it vulnerable to famine." Thus the improvement of food systems, as an important objective in rural development, must be viewed within the context of the whole environment, including agricultural as well as non- agricultural elements.