Crisis and rural poverty in Latin America

Description

The Global Financial Crisis will directly affect Latin America, although the consequences for each country will differ. In this adverse setting, an analysis is needed of how the continent’s rural sector, particularly the rural poor, will be affected. This document attempts to respond to the possible outcomes for the ru- ral population in the present financial crisis, particularly the rural poor in the following 11 countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru. Two criteria were used to select the countries studied in this report. First, countries that have high poverty rates that are above the regional average. Second, those countries identified as having the largest number of rural poor in the region, specifically Brazil and Mexico. Executive Summary Introduction 1. Latin America and the Global Financial Crisis 1.1. The context 1.2. The crisis 1.3. Transmission channels of the crisis 2. The Global Financial Crisis and the rural sector in Latin America 2.1. Similarities and differences at rural level 2.2. Rural poverty 2.3. The at-risk inhabitants of rural areas 2.4. Effects of the financial crisis on rural areas 3. Plans for dealing with the crisis and the response of governments 4. Areas to work on in order to avoid a deteriorating situation for rural inhabitants and/or how to manipulate the crisis to favor rural development 4.1. Four key areas to work on 5. Last thoughts: challenges for the public sector within this context References Annexes Annex 1. Consultants for the study Annex 2. Comparative tables of the 11 countries included in the study Table of Contens