Agriculture & rural
Development
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Agriculture and Rural Development
The world’s rapidly expanding population, coupled with accelerated climate change, has sharpened focus on food security issues globally. Increasing demand for food, greater urbanisation of the world’s population and technological advances in the way that food is produced all point to a need for policies that promote efficient agri-economic activity while at the same time protecting the productive potential of the environment for future generations. The prosperity of local communities, based on sustainable social and economic models, will be in an increasing challenge in the context of greater intensification of production and urbanisation of populations.
GDSI can provide specialised expertise on the design, implementation and evaluation of agricultural and rural development programmes. Whether the focus is farming, fisheries, food processing or other rural enterprise, GDSI offers innovative solutions to for ensuring the long-term sustainability and prosperity of rural communities.
ACHIEVEMENTS
A multi-disciplinary team of finance experts and agricultural scientists designed a novel World Bank programme to support the maintenance of livelihood options amongst Mongolia’s nomadic communities. The programme designed a special programme of rural finance which was built around the specific features of the animal husbandry business in Mongolia.
The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
Together with staff of the National University of Ireland, we carried out a comprehensive review of the social and economic impact of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for Irish coastal communities. This analysis became an important basis for Irish government negotiations of the CFP.
