National Land Agency BPN - Republic of Indonesia (1995):
International Workshop on the Implementation of Rural Land Consolidation

10.2.2 Integrated Rural Development

In Germany and other European Union nations, the policy of an integrated rural development is being pursued. What is meant by that?

Fig. 2 Sustainable development

It has been realized that sustainable, forward-looking and tolerable development is dependent upon the following factors:

• social sustainment,
• economical sustainment,
• ecological sustainment and
• spiritual and mental sustainment.

What does this mean?

For one thing, this means that it would be unreasonable to expect agricultural policy to promote the development of rural areas by itself. Therefore, agricultural policy - especially agricultural structural policy -, regional economic policy, social and cultural policy of the government and the communities, and also the initiative of individual citizens must be adapted to one another.

Network thinking is required here!

On the other hand, this also means that:

A promotional measure for agricultural holdings - such as the consolidation of smaller parcels of land

must not destroy nature (ecological sustainment);

must not radically change the cultural identity of the farmers - a farmer is not an industrial laborer, after all;

must take into account social structures - such as large holdings, small holdings.