The poverty of the developing world is rarely on the mind of most Americans for but an instant following a news story or a commercial for an aid agency on television. Less time still is spent trying to understand the root causes of this pressing problem; it is indeed a complex web with many strands. Solving it has proven elusive. But many have tried.
Like most complex problems, there is no panacea. Like most complex problems, politicians develop programs to alleviate the symptoms, but not to end the suffering for good. Most typically throw money at a problem or support direct investment, trying to improve economies from the top down. These actions result in little change for those at lowest end of the income scale. But all is not lost.
Of course, there are people who do understand world poverty, and they know the solution is complex. Working against great odds, their organizations impact the daily lives of millions of destitute citizens worldwide. The best of these teach people how to make a living and support themselves; all that anyone would ever ask in such a situation. One of the best is the Rural Development Institute (RDI). This organization works to secure land rights for the poorest people on the Earth. By using the law to enact change, generations of people benefit.
The majority of the world’s poor live in rural areas, where agriculture is predominant way of life. In most cases, the people who work the fields do not own the land, and see little out of its return. Improving land tenure laws and expanding opportunity for rural peasants to own land has many benefits to individuals and the economy as a whole. Individually family incomes rise and lead to savings accumulation; nutrition is also improved. Communally, overall crop production increases, infant mortality decreases, and environmental concerns improve. Further, the increased ownership of land by rural workers helps stabilize the economy against shocks and provides a stable basis for growth. As the rural masses invest in their future via land ownership, their social standing improves and the potential for social unrest is dramatically reduced.
In the first step, RDI works with governments, NGOs and aid agencies to develop land tenure rights. Part of that process is an intricate study of the different political, cultural, and agricultural landscapes must be done before solutions can be developed. After policies are completed, RDI often implements a pilot program to help the government facilitate their new solution. Then they act as consultants to the country, moving their main efforts to the next country and another challenge. After all, the beneficiaries can now move forward on their own. For the most part, that’s all they wanted in the first place.
This top-down approach has an immediate and lasting effect on the lives of rural citizens in the developing world, helping to overcome conditions that resulted from traditional land tenure or the legacy of colonial rule. I can think of few better causes to support. If you agree, look into the Rural Development Institute at www.rdiland.org. Your dollar we go a long way to solving global poverty, not just helping this year.
