Abstract
Over 60% of the world's people live in rural areas and are involved either directly or indirectly in agricultural enterprises: in Asia and Africa the proportion is over 70% (Table 1). 1 A thorough appreciation of this statistic must predicate any discussion about cooperative peace strategies. Strategies for building peace must be applicable and effective in rural communities and address their circumstances and constraints. People living in rural areas are predominantly in developing countries (Table 1) where they are likely to live in small self-reliant communities, and have a world view largely shaped by traditional value systems and by local community and family needs but suffer poor access to education, medical facilities, infrastructure, and information.