This publication contains papers and discussions arising from a series of UN Economic and Social Council meetings organised to discuss the theme of promoting an integrated approach to rural development in developing countries to achieve poverty eradication and sustainable development. The papers are arranged under six chapter headings of: i) the fundamentals of integrated development, including the millennium development goals and the role of NEPAD; ii) agricultural issues including agro-industries, land use practices, sustainable livestock production methods, smallholder agriculture and co-operatives; iii) environmental issues including rural energy development, water privatisation, forest areas and E7 public-private partnerships; iv) market access issues, including commodity markets, microcredit systems, the coffee and mining sectors; v) health and education; and vi) culture and work.

A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.

This book on the important question of village viability arose from several organizational innovations. It presents the important experience of intensive village studies conducted by anthropologists and sociologists and describes it with the views of development economists and administrators.

International Journal for Social Science Research and Practice (IJSSRP) is an interdisciplinary peer reviewed journal. The objective of the journal is to serve as a forum for the exhibition and dissemination of scholarly activities in forms of current researches and thoughts on contemporary issues. The scope of IJSSRP is wide and all inclusive as it ranges from issues in the United States to global events and happenings. It welcomes all types of researches ranging from field and experimental to rigorous theoretical explanations. It welcomes empirically based studies and discussions based on abstractions and theoretical understanding. IJSSRP will serve as the forum for the promotion of positive exchange between nomothetic and idiographic traditions in the social sciences. The journal is independent of any particular school of thought and does not lean towards any theoretical perspective or viewpoint. Authors are not limited by their nationality, religion, subject matter or theoretical orientation. The journal is however interested in studies that will promote global unity and understanding towards achieving a peaceful global village, global social harmony and economic growth. It therefore promotes studies that can yield practical solutions to contemporary global social problems. Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806 TEL: 804 524 5191