Rural areas play a key role in the fight against poverty and hunger – especially in our partner countries. Agriculture is often the biggest economic sector in rural areas in these countries, offering employment, income and prospects. In fragile contexts, agriculture can contribute to stabilisation.
Agricultural policy and rural development
Rural areas have a great deal of potential for income and employment promotion and nutrition security. We design measures that promote social, environmental, political and economic sustainability for rural areas.
More than
70
%
of the world’s poor live in rural areas.
The agricultural sector
is the most important source of income and employment in rural areas.
Developing this potential requires a supportive political framework, efficient institutions, a strong private sector, and effective measures to strengthen rural areas.
Our vision: sustainable development in rural areas
We advise our partners on enhancing the attractiveness of rural areas by increasing the population’s economic prospects and safeguarding environmental sustainability.
Our priorities in agricultural policy:
- We promote sustainable transformation of agri-food systems.
- We support partner countries in implementing international agreements, such as the Kampala Declaration (African Union [Link: African Union], 2025) or the Rio Conventions (UNFCCC, CBD, CCD) on climate [Link: Climate change], biodiversity [Link: Biodiversity] and desertification.
- We support our partners in analysing and formulating agricultural policy strategies.
- We promote transparent negotiation processes between the state, civil society and the private sector.
- We provide technical and organisational advisory services to ministries, and promote policy coherence and intersectoral coordination
- We strengthen the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the agri-food sector in our partner countries.
- We bolster the inclusion of vulnerable population groups and encourage the participation of young people and female target groups in support measures on an equal footing, in line with a feminist development policy (which promotes women’s access to resources, rights and representation).
GIZ strategies for strong rural areas
GIZ pursues a holistic approach to strengthening rural areas, and combines agricultural policy measures with empowerment of governmental, civil society and private sector stakeholders in rural areas, measures to increase the population’s resilience, and action to support economic empowerment and social justice.
Good governance
Value chain development
Private sector development
Resilience and climate
Young people and gender justice
Our programmes specifically focus on areas that are particularly affected by poverty, hunger and a lack of prospects – and empower the people who are ushering in change at local level.
Insights
This project focuses on the following GIZ work priorities:
The project contributes to these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations: