africa: Ensuring a pro-poor focus in agriculture and rural development through NEPAD

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) recognises the central role of agriculture. However, its tilt towards increasing productivity through enhancement of infrastructure and inputs; export led growth through opening regional and international markets; and improving backward and forward linkages through agro - processing leaves the impression that there are still weaknesses in its conception of the overall picture of agriculture. The bias towards a certain model of agriculture - commercial and export orientated - points to gaps in its conception of a more wider and deeper perspective on rural development. This is according to a paper that evaluates NEPAD's strategic focus on issues of agriculture and rural development.