Six characters (and a few more) in search of an author: how to rescue rural development before it's too late.

Rural development has not received the priority and attention warranted by the present and future concentration of poverty in rural areas. Is this perhaps because rural development agencies present conflicting narratives? A framework is presented within which to answer that question, and is then applied to the recent policy statements of the European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Deveopment (IFAD), and the World Bank. Each policy statement is compelling in its own way, but the strategies are not consistent. A narrative is needed, which recognizes the rapid pace of change in rural areas, acknowledges the need for diversification out of agriculture, builds market institutions for growth, and works effectively within the current international consensus on poverty reduction, emphasising opportunity, empowerment, and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]