Why is a new rural development paradigm needed?

Despite six decades of attention to rural development, culminating in the Millennium Development Goals process of the 21st century, rural people in the developing world still struggle compared to their urban counterparts. This chapter reviews the shifting theories and approaches to the subject over the years, from rural areas being treated as “backwaters” in need of modernisation, to more nuanced approaches valuing rural knowledge and promoting local participation in policy making. The limited success of the old approaches, and changing international development contexts, call for a new rural development paradigm that takes advantage of the diverse and innovative roles rural areas can play while integrating specific economic, social and ecological concerns. A new paradigm for rural development will be crucial for achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals, which will strongly influence development practices in the 21st century.