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Rural poverty approaches, policies & strategies in Colombia

The National Development Plan 2006-2010 and the initiative known as Visión 2019 state the national goals: a free, responsible and egalitarian society, an economy that guarantees the citizens’ well-being and an efficient state at the service of its citizens.

The government has adopted measures to protect the rural population and combat violence provoked by illegally armed groups, which is often associated with the drug trade and is one of the main obstacles to sustainable rural development.

The government’s strategy calls for decentralization and participation in a community-based state. The objectives of the strategy are to:

• provide incentives for agricultural and non-agricultural businesses and value chain development
• stimulate integration and synergy between rural and urban areas
• stengthen grass-roots organizations and encourage rural people’s participation
• improve infrastructure and consolidate a productive and competitive rural sector able to access national and international markets and generate benefits for the rural population through improved use of land and resources
• support the efficient functioning of rural financial services and markets

Poverty reduction is one of the government’s main priorities for development. The government is actively seeking ways to design innovative strategies and instruments for working more closely with grass-roots initiatives and local development organizations. The Agency for Social Action and International Cooperation, created in 2005 under the Office of the President of the Republic, coordinates poverty initiatives with national bodies and donors. Among the principal donors financing national poverty reduction programmes and projects are the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Union, the Andean Development Corporation and the United Nations system. Most of the investments are earmarked for areas where conflict has been particularly intense. In addition, a large group of bilateral donors support peace efforts. In the rural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is actively engaged in poverty reduction efforts.

Source: IFAD