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Rural development in Sudan: The Dutch aid experience
Author(s) -
O'Keefe P.,
Kirkby J.,
Harnmeijer J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
public administration and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1099-162X
pISSN - 0271-2075
DOI - 10.1002/pad.4230110404
Subject(s) - government (linguistics) , context (archaeology) , economic growth , sustainability , sustainable development , refugee , agriculture , control (management) , business , scale (ratio) , political science , economics , management , paleontology , ecology , philosophy , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , law , biology
This article concerns the evaluation of Dutch rural aid projects in the Sudan, with particular reference to sustainability. The general policy within which these projects were developed concerns ‘investing in people’, ‘thinking ahead’ and ‘institution strengthening’ and the evaluation is carried out within a framework of ‘themes of success’; eight projects are involved, focusing on the needs of women and refugees, smallholder credit, locust control, forestry control and cotton stalk briquetting. In terms of the immediate impact, the projects focusing on the needs of women and refugees were less successful. This was in part through weak project formulation and monitoring, lack of experience and cultural inhibitions. But all projects suffered from the effects of the macrocontext. The government's attention is upon large scale export‐generating agricultural projects, so projects concerned with other rural issues are marginal to the government's intentions. Environmental concern is seen as inhibiting economic goals; international pressures lead to ‘soil mining’. Furthermore, the international Islamic Revival produces internal conflict militating against sustainable development projects. In conclusion, all these projects are in some respects successful, but none is likely to be sustainable in the current context. However, local projects cannot be sealed off from the macrocontext; success requires the participation of international, national and local agencies and non‐government organizations.