SARD is a contributory factor
to Sustainable Human Development (SHD).
SHD as defined by UNDP refers to:
"Development
that not only generates economic growth but distributes its benefits equitably; that
regenerates the environment rather than destroys it; that empowers people rather than
marginalizing them. It is development that gives priority to the poor, enlarging their
choices and opportunities and providing for their participation in decisions that affect
their lives. It is development that is pro-people, pro-nature, pro-jobs and
pro-women".
The
success of projects in agriculture or in a rural community ought not to be measured by the
economic gains only. Successful projects are those, which are sustainable, even after the
removal of external intervention. Such projects should contribute to improvement in each
of the following categories:
- Economic
- Social
- Institutional
- Environmental
- Political
- Technological
Direct
beneficiaries of such projects could include women, Indigenous groups, subsistence small
farmers, technicians, youths, resource-poor communities. Projects can fail during
implementation, even whilst external intervention is present or after removal of external
intervention. Six often cited causes of project failure are:
- inadequate participation
of key people in the decision making process
- underdeveloped human
resources
- market uncertainty
- uncompetitive production
- unappropriate technology
- misuse of natural
resources
Therefore,
in order for projects to be successful and contribute to sustainable development, such
projects should have to following six characteristics:
- identify key
participants
- effectively respond to
the needs for human development
- identify constraints and
market opportunities
- build on comparative and
competitive advantages
- efficiently use
technologies
- effectively respond to
natural resource limitations; potential linkages
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