The picture of the rural world in countries of the global South tends to be a dismal one. Within the diversity of the political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental contexts in these countries, a common situation arises: rural populations must struggle with difficult and complex structural problems that make it difficult to survive.

Suffering from hunger, living in unsanitary conditions, having little education, and often very isolated, rural people are confronted with difficulties stemming from access to resources (water and land), technical material (education, equipment, technology, information) and financial means (credit).
Their most basic rights are frequently ignored by large-scale land-owners, employers who pay poorly and impose work conditions that border on slavery, and by authorities (police and the judicial system) that often make arbitrary decisions outside the law.

In the hope of escaping from poverty and thinking about building a better future, millions of rural people have migrated to urban areas over the last few decades. The majority of them have found themselves socially and economically marginalized. Forced to live in slums and shantytowns, they often rely on unstable jobs in construction or domestic work, which frequently keeps them in the vicious circle of poverty.

FDH, which works with rural people who have immigrated to urban centers, has always continued to support those who have stayed behind, and who did not emigrate toward the cities.
For 40 years, we support projects that are planned and put in place by local populations to create not only economic development, but social, political, cultural, and environmental development as well.

The results we have seen so far are tangible proof that by the sheer force of will, new programs can emerge in at-risk areas, which can grow and create positive affects on the whole society.

Actors for Cooperative Development
FDH and its partners in the South works with populations in difficult situations by supporting them in strengthening their organizational capabilities, negotiation, learning new skills, increasing revenues, and legitimizing their culture.

In Bolivia, Coraca Protal encouraged the organization of families of peasants who lost their jobs after the mines closed, in order to reinvest their efforts in unfarmed land and restart agricultural production, rather than moving to slums in the surrounding cities. Thanks to education and common efforts to establish the agricultural potential of the land, hundreds of families now live and work with dignity. For example, they have revived production and consummation of “locoto” (a local pepper), all the way to Cochabamba the principal city in the region, which was made accessible thanks to the construction of a road built with the help of the authorities. Empowered by these experiences, these families have decided to move into socially responsible tourism, a new source of revenue and a groundbreaking way of sharing their traditional Indian traditions.

In Rwanda, a country without much farmable land, Duhamic-Adri works with rural people in creating employment and diversifying their activities. Many took courses in artisan woodworking and the business of artisanship (credit access, management and distribution), which allowed them to participate in improving living conditions in two rural and urban areas in the country, while at the same time acting for the environment and participating in a reforestation project.
These examples prove that by moving past an exclusively economic vision of the problems affecting populations in difficulty, we can be in a better position to bring sustainable and fruitful responses to these structural and cyclical problems. Through technical training, the recognition of their potential and their identity, and a better handling of decision-making mechanisms, thousands of rural people have been able to build individual and collective confidence to take charge of their own futures and realizing that their geographic environment is not necessarily a detriment.

Building Democratic Societies
In Brazil, the MST has become a social movement whose actions go beyond fighting for agrarian reform, and improving living and work conditions for landless farmers. Many of its members are unrecognized victims of brutalities and even massacres organized by large-scale landowners, with the support of local authorities. Categorically refusing violent action, the MST works through legal means to expose the truth and to bring visibility to the all too frequent legal violations that go unpunished in the highly unequal country of Brazil.

In India, the Dalits, tribal people, and marginalized groups in the IRDS, have shared their experiences of defending human rights with the rural and urban populations affected by the tsunami. After the world’s cameras left, these victims were at the mercy of tourism companies, gas companies, and certain authorities that wanted them to leave the land for economic reasons counter to their own interests. Those who have been historically disenfranchised give legal advice and support to the more recently disenfranchised, in the process of negotiation.

In the Philippines, PDRN, founded in the aftermath of the Pinatubo volcano eruption, is very active with rural populations living in areas in the Pampanga region, frequently threatened by natural disasters. The organization supports their efforts for economic and social rehabilitation. The results obtained during the floods of summer 2002, in terms of organizing first aid and evaluating needs, prompted regional authorities to request that representatives of PDRN and the villages be present at the “Regional Council on Risk Prevention.” Since then, they have participated in developing public policy, and signed an official recognition of the importance and quality of their collective mobilization.

In Haiti, the absence of a state of law makes arbitrary decisions, insecurity, and difficulty satisfying daily needs part of Haitians’ everyday life. CRESFED is leading an ambitious project in favor of creating democracy through education in rural and urban areas. The aim is to develop the strengths of leaders of organization leaders as well as other actors on the ground. Encouraging active citizenship in the social, economic, and cultural life of the country, while strengthening the capacity of local elected officials to reconstruct the social fabric and local management, is one of the principal objectives. Reintroduction of civic education in the school curriculum is another tool for change.

In spite of difficult living and working conditions, rural populations are organizing to be stronger in the name of defending basic rights. Speaking out, taking on individual and collective responsibilities, and developing capacities for dialogue, negotiation, and action are victories that yield increased participation among all members of society.
In a global context, where the seats of decision-making (OMC, BM, FMI, ONU) and the terms of discussion are defined by a small number of individuals and institutions, it is important that citizens have the tools needed to better understand and participate in debates.
In this rural world, often seen as a repository of tradition, we see new actors for change emerging, who know how to make their voices heard and create links with the rest of society for the defense of the rights to health, education, and nutrition. They also work on conflict prevention, natural resource access and management, and regulating free trade treaties: challenges that concern all of us.

Sabine Benjamin

CORACA PROTAL: Rural Association of Farmers and Animal-Breeders
MST: Landless Farmer Movement
IRDS: Integrated Rural Development Society (Dalit rights in India)
PDRN: Pampanga Disaster Response Network
CRESFED: Economic and Social Development Research and Training Center
UGPM: Union of Peasant Groups of Méckhe
Consortio Junin: made up of the Association of Work for Development, Team for Education and Social Management, and Institute for Urban Development