This manual has been elaborated from a very practical point of view, to be used as a guide for the activities that FAO carries out in Latin America and the Caribbean, in this important area of rural development. It presents the direct experience acquired by the authors in countries belonging to this Region, like Barbados, Chile, Guyana, Jamaica and Peru, and in African nations like Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Senegal, in which FAO has implemented such activities with the financial support of the Technical Cooperation Programme and/or funds from the Organization's Regular Programme.