Since the inception of development economics as an acknowledged academic discipline in its own
right, the challenges of rural development have attracted great academic and political attention. Yet, in
view of persistent and largely unchanging poverty levels – and poverty being an overwhelmingly rural
phenomenon (IFAD 2001) – it becomes apparent that these problems remain largely unresolved to
this day, and they continue to constitute some of the most trenchant issues of economic development,
particularly with respect to Africa2
.
The concern with rural development has undergone varying trends and at times, it certainly was not on
the top of the development community's agenda. Especially in the 60s and 70s, having just experienced
a boost in national confidence through achieving independence, African hopes were lying on
the goal of industrialisation. Many African governments, often with the support of IFIs and Western
governments, attempted to establish industrial policies like import substitution industrialisation, partly
with the aim to create a pull-effect on the agricultural sector and its supply of surplus labour. This period
is usually associated with a reduced attention towards rural development, famously associated
with the term 'urban bias' coined by Michael Lipton (1977).