The international journal Rural 21 has dedicated more than 50 years to all topics surrounding rural development. Its ambition is to further those strategies and policies that strengthen rural areas of developing and newly industrialising countries and encourage their implementation. The journal addresses the complete range of relevant themes – from agriculture and fisheries via capacity building and education through to health and social security, energy supply and trade. Center-stage is always devoted to inquiring into how measures and strategies can contribute to global food security and to reducing poverty.

Rural 21 desires to further the dialogue between science and politics, the private sector, civil society and practitioners. Two platforms are designed for this purpose: Rural 21 in print is published four times a year, each issue highlighting a specific focus of rural development – this print edition is read in more than 150 countries. In parallel, Rural 21 online keeps the rural development community up to date on news and events, scientific findings and other print and online publications.

Rural 21 is published by DLG-Verlag GmbH in Frankfurt/Germany. Financial partners are BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), DLG (German Agricultural Society – Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft), SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.

The first issue of Rural 21 dates back to 1967. From 1974 to 2007, the journal was published in three languages entitled „entwicklung & ländlicher raum“  /  „agriculture & rural development“ / „agriculture & développement rural“. In 2008, the journal was relaunched as „Rural 21“.