IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 8 - Fostering inclusive rural transformation in fragile states and situations

This paper seeks to answer three main questions: (i) What are fragile states and situations and how do they relate to issues of inclusive structural and rural transformation? (ii) In three selected case studies of diverse fragile situations (in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Haiti and the Republic of the Sudan – drawing on IFADfinanced programme and country experience), what have been the key elements of structural and rural transformation and to what extent has rural transformation been inclusive? (iii) In these cases, how does fragility affect the inclusiveness of rural transformation? Which policies and approaches can successfully promote inclusive rural transformation in fragile situations? This paper focuses on the relationships between fragile states and situations and structural and rural transformation in different contexts, and the degree to which inclusive rural transformation can be observed, understood and fostered in such situations. It provides an overview of the relationship between fragility and structural and rural transformation, and then proposes a focus on fragile situations rather than on fragile states. It identifies key issues that affect inclusive rural transformation in a diversity of fragile situations, considering short-term and long-term dynamics. After using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) list of fragile states and economies for the purposes of selecting case study countries for this paper, the paper focuses on a review of rural transformation processes and interventions to support more inclusive rural transformation in three fragile situations in Africa and Latin America: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Haiti (for a summary of factors of fragility in these countries, see Annex 1). The narrative then draws from this analysis to provide an overview of issues for inclusive rural transformation and summarizes a number of key messages to inform policies, strategies and programmes. The paper concludes with eight key messages on fostering inclusive rural transformation and fragile situations. The overall argument of this paper is that approaches to foster inclusive rural transformation in fragile states and situations need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. It is necessary for development actors to better understand the diversity and distinctive aspects of fragile states and situations, and consequent upon this, tailored approaches are needed in order to effectively support inclusive rural transformation in these contexts.