Rural Development

More than half the world’s population already lives in a city. Urbanisation is increasing rapidly in developing countries in particular. Yet rural areas serve a number of truly vital functions: the food needed to feed the nation is grown here, ensuring that everyone has enough to eat. Rural areas are also a source of desperately needed natural resources. But with a few exceptions that, prices that growers receive for their products are in constant decline everywhere. Many people are fleeing rural communities to the cities to secure their incomes and in hope of finding better working conditions. But without an efficient farming system a country cannot feed its citizens – both in the cities and in the country – over the long term. Starvation and poverty result. Today one person dies from hunger and malnutrition every 3.5 seconds. That adds up to 25,000 people a day, around ten million deaths per year.

Rural areas are also the hardest hit by climate change. Flooding, storms, drought and escalating desertification increasingly destroy harvests and permanently compromise farming in many regions of the world. Long-term, sustainable strategies are needed to reverse this trend. Agricultural areas must have qualified experts and executives who can advance social and economic development in their regions. More qualified commercial jobs must be created in rural regions and farming needs to be strengthened so that the living conditions of those who live in the country improve socially, economically and ecologically.

Inwent’s programmes are designed for experts and executives who are active in their regions and influence sustainable development. We provide the knowledge they need and strengthen their decision-making and management skills. To this end we work together with bi- and multilateral organisations in many regions. For participants from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, Inwent offers the "EU Integration of Agricultural Economic Areas in Southeastern Europe" training programme in cooperation with different ministries. This programme provides participants with the skills essential to shaping development in agricultural economic areas and providing rural populations with a modern supply of services.

In West Africa Inwent offers two training programmes. The "Decentralised Management of Agricultural Processes of Development in West Africa" programme provides participants with the skills necessary for planning and managing decentralised processes of development. The “Regional Management West Africa” international leadership training programme expands on this initial programme. Participants become skilled at communication, moderation and advising in Germany and expand their knowledge of institutional development and the decentralised management of natural resources. They learn about measures for poverty reduction and securing the food supply and develop projects to implement in their homelands after their return.