July 12, 2004 - Washington, DC Are European rural development policies applicable to the context of Latin America? Over 100 rural development experts in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Rome, Italy discussed this question in a highly interactive GDLN seminar series on “Territorial Approach and the New Rural Agenda in Europe: Its Applicability to Latin America”, held from May 6 to June 17, 2004. Taking full advantage of the diverse learning methods and techniques available through GDLN, each seminar featured videoconference sessions, classroom discussions guided by a local facilitator, and e-learning components. To further explore the ideas raised during the seminar series, participants in Latin America - including government officials and technical personnel working on the design and implementation of rural development programs - agreed to organize a follow-up session. Ultimately, the objective of this session would be an action plan for territorial development in their countries.

The course was jointly developed by the Investment Center of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank’s unit for Rural Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean (LCSER), and the World Bank Institute’s Rural Poverty and Development Program.

For more information, please visit the course website (in Spanish) at
http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sdruralpoverty/lac/territorialdev, or contact Miriam Heidtmann mheidtmann@worldbank.org