Infrastructures rurales et développement agricole

Agricultural development is essential for economic growth, rural development, and poverty alleviation in low-income developing countries. Increasing agricultural productivity is an effective driver of economic growth and poverty reduction, both within and outside agricultural sectors. Increasing productivity requires good rural infrastructure, well-functioning domestic markets, appropriate institutions, and access to appropriate technology. Despite the well-documented importance of rural infrastructure to promote growth and reduce poverty, high economic rates of return to investments in rural infrastructure, and significant deficiencies of rural infrastructure in most developing countries, neither national governments nor international aid agencies seem to prioritize investments in the construction of new infrastructure or the maintenance of existing infrastructure. Failure to accel-erate investments in rural infrastructure will make a mockery of efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in poor developing countries and severely limit their ability to benefit from trade liberalization, international capital markets, and other potential benefits of globalization.