International News
Number 45
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International News

World Development Report on Poverty

Livestock are central to the lives of many of the world's poorest peoples. The World Development Report on Poverty (WDR) was commissioned by the World Bank and prepared independently by the Bretton Woods Project and the New Policy Institute. The draft of the Report was opened to electronic discussion for six weeks. There was a very large response. Full details may be found at: wdrconf@gn.apc.org 

Some of the important points raised by the electronic consultation ought to impact the thinking, perspectives and activities of leaders in agriculture and animal science in Europe and North America. However, it is unlikely that many animal scientists will be exposed to these issues raised in the WDR or in the discussion. Some key points are therefore presented in summary form here. The discussion was drawn from more than 1,500 people in 80 countries and included teachers, researchers, company managers, development bureaucrats, finance ministry officials and agitators. There was a disproportionate number (56%) of contributions from the North and a lack of comments from poor people themselves. Full details of the issues which were raised in the electronic discussion can be found at the web archive at: www.worldbank.org/devforum/forum_poverty.html. 

Some of the major discussion points of importance to livestock production are summarized here:

• The WDR 2000/01 report reflects real progress with a broadened approach to understanding poverty, with increased examination of non-income dimensions and recognition of insecurity, voicelessness and powerlessness.
• The report moves decisively beyond using national average figures for poverty incidence and examines many factors which influence whether economic growth occurs and whether it translates into poverty reduction for particular population groups. 
• The WDR should be bolder in its policy options by including alternative perspectives deviating from the goals of consumerism and economic growth. Alternative policies could be aiming for a steady-state, ecologically supportable, and people-oriented economy where basic needs of the world's poor are the primary priority. 
• More focus is urged on measures needed to counter the structural forces which push people into poverty and keep them there.  This calls for an examination of root causes and increased emphasis on long-term trends relating to sustainability, concentration of wealth and power.
• Substantial agreement was expressed with the view in the draft report that the well-being of the poor depends increasingly on forces originating outside a country's borders.
• There was support for increased attention to be given to Northern economic activities and their resulting ecological and political 'footprints'.
• To tackle poverty effectively the poor need to be involved in defining the issues and the solutions.  This would involve gathering the priorities and perspectives of poorer people themselves together with understanding their values in life.
• Concern was expressed regarding the strong emphasis in the draft report on the relationship between economic growth and poverty reduction. A number of participants asked for further evidence for the report's statement that '..rapid integration into global markets is a sine qua non..'
• A repeated observation from participants was that growth permits the accumulation of assets in the hands of those who already have them and puts them in a stronger position to resist redistribution.
• Although economic growth can create jobs, many of these will pay very low wages and have high job insecurity, keeping poor people  in poverty
• Many felt that governments, NGOs and international agencies have a key role to play together in raising awareness of poverty and in encouraging elites to form pro-poor alliances. Participants discussed whether elites could be persuaded that poverty should be tackled primarily as a moral obligation. Opponents of that view felt it was unrealistic to expect the rich not to put their own self-interests first, with the only long-term answers lying in political mobilisation of poor people to press for their own interests. 
• On risks, crises and disasters a number of contributors felt the draft did not pay adequate attention to human-induced root causes and urged bolder recommendations on preventative measures, in areas such as capital flows and greenhouse gas emissions. Others urged more attention to addressing the risks of war and civil strife.
• Some felt the unemployment risks identified in the report could be linked to neo-liberal economic policies. 
• The risk issue was discussed widely. The draft report predominantly focused  on micro-level risks and many participants agreed the assessment of the main sources of risk could be improved by including more macro or systemic causes, particularly structural adjustment, lack of regulation, and  suppression of trade union rights. 
• Other risks include legal risks and "dwelling insecurity", and those arising from development project interventions; seasonal fluctuations in poverty levels; and environmental degradation by rich countries; and culture. 
• Education was recognised by many as a key asset and the report was praised for emphasising its multiple benefits. However, some found the report over-emphasized formal education rather than 'livelihood' skills, job training and moral education.
• Participants agreed that jobs are essential assets, but felt the draft advocated only micro measures to improve their availability and quality.
• The report's section on credit and insurance schemes was supported by many although microfinance mechanisms should be revisited.
• The importance of small businesses in creating assets for the poor was noted positively. This point is especially important for livestock production in poor economies and needs to be taken into account in trade issues when animal products from large-scale western enterprises can negatively impact marketing of livestock products from poorer countries.
• Livestock and agriculture are central to lifting life from poverty. They need special consideration and provisions within the World Trade Organization agreements and protocols.

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