Poverty alleviation
Over 70 per cent of those affected by poverty worldwide are rural dwellers. Given the scarcity of alternative income streams in rural areas, people depend heavily on agriculture. But securing a permanent income from it is proving ever more difficult. This is the result of increasingly drastic cuts in Government support in many countries over recent decades. There is a lack of infrastructure, machinery, storage and transport facilities, access to micro credits or to educational and advisory services. Besides, many peasant farmers are being forced out of the market by large domestic and foreign producers, or cannot sell their produce at fair prices.