Towards human and
sustainable economic development

Three-quarters of the people around the world who are victims of absolute poverty live in rural areas. To subsist, these people rely exclusively on agriculture. To reduce hunger and poverty, it is thus necessary to take part in moves toward sustainable development of agriculture.

The goal of the Uniterra program’s agricultural projects is for communities in rural areas to acquire means of improving their living conditions. Projects must thus be conducted without neglecting the many factors related to each country (the economy beyond agriculture, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, etc.).

To reduce long-term poverty more quickly, it is vital to achieve effective economic advances in a number of areas. Accordingly, the growth of national private sectors and thriving markets in developing countries is an effective way of reaching this goal.

The Uniterra program therefore supports economic development and markets in rural and urban areas. The aim of this initiative is to help various businesses and producers prosper both in the informal and official sectors of the economy. This approach also encourages the establishment and operation of small craft industries and cooperatives.

Projects favouring human and sustainable economic development are under way in a number of countries:

The Uniterra program relies on collaboration from a number of partners in pursuing this issue.