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Cooperating To Eliminate Rural Poverty Program Objective Three of every four poor people in the developing world live in rural areas. One third of humanity-over two billion people-live on less than $2 a day The global community committed itself to reducing world poverty as the first Millennium Development Goal. But that goal will not be met without a sharper focus on sustainable human development both in agriculture and in associated rural non-agricultural enterprises. The focus cannot be limited to conventional neo-liberal economic approaches to poverty reduction. The challenge is to promote processes of individual and community empowerment enabling people to achieve sustainable livelihoods while promoting human dignity and economic and social democracy. Israeli and international experience demonstrates that associations of people united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprises are powerful tools of individual and community empowerment. Cooperatives and other people-centered enterprises are the most widely applied form of such voluntary associations. People throughout the world have organized cooperatives in order to meet their needs in a wide variety of endeavors: agricultural coops, consumer coops, cooperatives providing health and education services as well as cooperatives created to promote new business initiatives and create decent employment opportunities. Successful cooperative models have contributed significantly to the alleviation of poverty. A consistent, integrated cooperative approach can help billions of people escape the horrors of abject poverty and create a different world.
Why study poverty alleviation in Rural poverty has been eliminated in The central focus of the course will be to present the successful Israeli experience as well as other international best-practice examples. Participants will have the opportunity to formulate ideas and policies which may be applicable to their own countries while sharing experiences with colleagues from around the world.
Program The course includes frontal lectures, workshops, study visits to relevant institutions and organizations as well as three days of cultural and historic tours.
The main topics to be covered include: o Strategies of development o Agricultural developments in the 21st century o Contribution of cooperatives to the economy, society and the individual o The role of cooperatives in rural development o Leadership and management in rural communities o Appropriate agricultural policy in the era of globalization o Post-harvest processing and marketing cooperatives o Micro-finance and rural development o Effective rural extension services o Local/regional-level Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) o Regional cooperation as a strategy of rural development o Entrepreneurship in contemporary agriculture o Linking rural producers to global markets o The role of local, regional and national governments in successful rural development
The program is run by Rafi Goldman, a specialist in cooperatives and rural enterprise management (for more information Click here)
Who Should Attend: The course is designed for senior staff of government ministries involved in economic, industrial and social development, senior staff of regional and local governments, cooperative management teams, entrepreneurial ,SME and cooperative support and promotion agencies, banks and development finance institutions, leaders of chambers of commerce and SME associations, non-governmental economic and social associations (NGOs), economists, business consultants and trainers. Applicants must have good communication skills in English. Program Site Most of the program will be held in the in the facilities of NISPED, which are located in the Golden Tulip Hotel in Beer Sheva, the capital of the Duration and Language The program will last 10 days between the 3rd and 12th of August, 2008. It is scheduled to officially open on the afternoon of August 3rd. Participants are requested to arrive August 2rd or the morning of August 3nd (Accommodation prior to these dates is problematic). Fees and Scholarships The total fee is Euro 2850 This fee covers all in-country costs including tuition, background material, full room and board (single rooms, breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee/tea break), all inland transportation, study visits, visits to cultural and historical places, health insurance and transfer from and to the airport.
Health Insurance Medical insurance covers medical services and hospitalization in case of emergency. It does not cover the treatment of chronic diseases, dental care other than first aid, or repair of eyeglasses. Candidates using specific medications on a regular basis must bring sufficient quantities for the duration of their stay. Applications Candidates must submit the application form available on the NISPED website (Click here) The completed application, including the health form, must be submitted no later than Clothing Most days, casual clothing is appropriate. Temperatures usually range from 18 to 35 degrees Celsius during this time of year. For the closing ceremony and official visits, participants may want to bring something a little more formal. For those coming from countries that have a national costume, it is recommended to bring it. Important also are: a bathing suit, sun hat, and comfortable walking shoes for excursions. Passport and Visa Passports must be valid for at least six months from the opening day of the course. Applicants must submit an official visa application form available at the NISPED website (Click here). The dates and flight numbers for the return trip to and from
About NISPED, the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development January 1998 marked the founding of the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (NISPED), an affiliate of the NISPED serves as a center for education, training, and project development for societies undergoing fundamental processes of transformation. These processes include transition from conflict to conflict resolution; from the rigidities of centralized economies and political dictatorships to democracy and free market economies; from poverty and dependence to selfhood and socio-economic advance. To these ends, NISPED undertakes activities in the following areas: o Training: NISPED conducts in o Projects: The Institute engages in the initiation, planning, guidance and evaluation of concrete projects within its fields of interest both in its close geographical area and further afield. o Consultancy: The Institute offers consultancy services to public and private institutions in NISPED's programs and projects are centered mainly on:
NISPED seeks to cooperate with like-minded bodies in Negev Institute Golden Tulip Hotel Henrietta Szold 4, Beer Telephone: 972-8-6405432 Fax: 972-8-6405451 E-mail: nisped@nisped.org.il Web-site: www.nisped.org.il
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