Coherence of agricultural and rural development policies

Agriculture is no longer the dominant sector in rural economies in OECD countries. But it is still the key sector in managing the land, and many ancillary industries are dependant on agriculture. Both agricultural and rural policy are changing to respond to society's concerns regarding food safety, food security, animal welfare, environmental protection and the viability of rural areas. These proceedings of the OECD Workshop on Coherence of Agricultural and Rural Development Policies examined these issues through thematic studies and country experiences. They find that rural is not synonymous with agriculture and agriculture is not always rural as much agricultural production occurs in peri-urban areas. The goals of agricultural and rural policies are different, but policy coherence is essential.