Reflections on agriculture and rural development, drawing on experiences in South Sudan in the 1970s and early 1980s

3 Agricultural development in South Sudan in the 1970s and early 80s: what was done? 3.1 Understanding of the problems What was the understanding in South Sudan of the problems in the early to mid-1970s? In many ways these echoed strongly the challenges that the World Bank identified in 1973. [...] It was funded by the World Bank and the governments of Germany and the UK, with IFAD joining the second phase, and was the largest and best-resourced of the agricultural development initiatives of the time. [...] Along with many of the agricultural projects designed in the 1970s, and the sense of urgency and great needs in South Sudan at the time, the PDU was notable by its relatively large scale and its geographical reach. [...] A highly centralised management system made matters worse; due to staffing problems and weaknesses in design of management systems the advantages of central administration have not been achieved and the inevitable lack of flexibility has caused frustration and delays in the field.”16 The centralised design was intended to achieve efficiencies, and no doubt to reduce the burden on the Ministry of h. [...] Let us return to the question mentioned earlier: what should be the role of the state in agricultural development? The answer to this will vary in different countries, according to circumstances and needs, and the capabilities and motivations of the state.