The “Rural Development” symposium held in Bonn from 29 to 30 April 2008 was organised for the second time as a joint event by several German international development organisations (BMZ, DED, KfW, InWEnt, CIM and GTZ). The conference was also attended by members of related organisations such as DIE, SLE and DEG.

The aim was to give international development specialists the opportunity to exchange experiences and opinions about four current challenges in rural development (poverty reduction through agriculture, impact of climate change on agriculture, giving the urban rural continuum a new perspective and the need for social security systems also for rural areas) as well as to inform decision-makers about the outcomes, in form of a briefi ng event for members of parliament in Berlin. Speakers from external organisations were invited to give key-note presentations, providing an alternative view of the topics.

Regina Birner (IFPRI) gave an insight into the statements made in the World Development Report 2008, which acknowledges the role of agriculture as an important key to poverty reduction and helps to place rural development on the top of the agenda. Agricultural small-holder productivity needs to be increased, e.g. by securing land rights and by facilitating access to financial services and local markets. Agriculture is not only a signifi cant contributor to climate change, but what’s more, changing conditions will have a substantial effect on agricultural productivity. Therefore, agricultural adaptation measures have to be considered now in order to anticipate negative impacts particularly regarding water resources and increased risks of natural disasters. In addition, German MPs need to include climate change adaptation methods more into the political dialogue, as Karl-Heinz Stecher (KfW) stated in his presentation.

Dr. Eva Dick (University Dortmund) gave an introduction to rural-urban linkages. The identification of these is valuable for the promotion of economic development in the countryside and in towns. A successful application of the integrated approach was demonstrated by Dr. Hildegard Zeilinger. She presented the example of the European Metropolitan Region of Nürnberg (EMN) where the combination of rural and urban areas has effectively contributed to the economic development of the region, with bigger growth rates coming from the rural areas. In this context, migration is a prominent concern: It is not about preventing migration but about increasing and deploying the potential of migrants, Beatrice Knerr (University Kassel) declared. Dr. Ugo Gentilini (World Food Program, (WFP) informed participants on the basics of social protection which is becoming increasingly essential, as we see in the current food security crisis. Harmonising food and social security policies as well as strengthening institutional capacities are of utmost importance in this connection.

Further aspects of the symposium included the formation of a task force to provide support to BMZ on food security issues and the evening talk on biofuels by Dr. Michael Brüntrup (DIE) leading to a lively and controversial discussion.

The symposium was perceived as a valuable occasion for the different organisations to communicate on an informal basis and contributed greatly to a mutual understanding of the discussed issues. Nevertheless, it became clear that despite extensive experience in parts, specifi c solutions have yet to be developed. Events like this facilitate the process and ensure communication between institutions for the benefit of all.

(Paul-Theodor Schütz, gtz)

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