Only the poor themselves, with appropriate organizational and technical assistance, can identify solutions that will fit them and belong to them. Sixth, this approach to rural development implies a strong and redefined role for the state, which must be able to support and complement the role assumed by civil society in rural development programs. Seventh, successful rural development requires a thriving agriculture, but alleviating rural poverty and retaining rural populations cannot be - accomplished by agriculture alone, however successful agricultural development may be. The number of poor people has increased and will continue to increase unless decisive steps are taken. Food production per capita has fallen, and hunger is a pervasive problem.
Poverty restricts the development of the human, social, and economic potential of every individual.
In some countries the limited access of small farmers to land and water is a special and critical issue, but everywhere the root of rural poverty is the extremely low level of development of small-scale agriculture. Small farmers have fared very badly. Their productivity remains low, and they lack adequate and stable off-farm employment opportunities. The very weight of this poorly developed agriculture sector in the economies of most of the countries of the region means that without rapid growth in this sector, these countries will not prosper, and without income growth among small farmers, poverty will continue to deepen. The role of the governments of Sub-Saharan Africa is first and foremost to promote increased private sector investment and activity in the poor rural areas of southern Africa.