Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
steadily increasing, and the IAAs (including WTO) and some DC are now
undertaking numerous projects/programs to try to help resolve this problem, but
as yet without much improvement. It is proving to be very difficult to close
this gap.
ADB's report of 1990 on “Economic Policies for Sustainable Development”
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represents ADB's initial recognition of the seriousness of rural poverty and out-
lines development policies, which need to be followed, including giving the
rural sector its fair share of attention in the country's overall investment pro-
gram, especially for provision of rural town amenities and development of local
agro-industries. The report's Executive Summary stresses the urgency of this
need.
ADB's report of 2000, “The Environment Program, Recent Achievements and
a New Agenda for the Poor”
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was prepared in response to new and emerging
directions in ADB's overall operation. ADB has recently embarked on a reformu-
lation of its environment program. In particular, the adoption of poverty reduction
as ADB's overarching objective in November 1999 offers challenges and oppor-
tunities for ADB to adjust the focus of its assistance in sustainable management
of environmental resources to improve the plight of Asia's rural and urban poor.
All of the studies/projects already noted concur that attention to the rural
poverty sector is a major urgent problem in most DCs. Feasible ways for resolving
the problem include the following:
Provision of decent amenities (facilities), including water supply and sani-
tation, primary health care facilities, and schools
•
Land distribution so the “landless poor” have opportunity to manage farming
to help themselves
•
Promotion of local handicraft industries
•
Promotion of local factories using trained local labor to produce items for
sale to global manufacturers
•
Promotion of off-farm job opportunities
•
Illustrative Projects
Two of the ADB projects over the past several years,
which were designed with the twin objectives of environmental protection and
poverty reduction, are the following:
1. Sulawesi Rainfed Agriculture Development, Indonesia ($34 million project
loan), is directly benefiting about 50,000 households scattered over 235
villages and representing about 10 percent of the total population. The
project has increased the productivity and farm incomes of rainfed farmers;
protected and improved the fragile environment; created employment in the
rural areas; reduced poverty; and improved the socioeconomic condition of
women beneficiaries.
2. The Philippines received a $35.2 million loan for fisheries resource man-
agement, aiming to reverse the trend of fisheries resources depletion in
