Rural development: putting the last first

Writing this book over the past three years has been like the proverbial painting of a long bridge: by the time one end is reached, the other needs redoing. But unlike a bridge, if has got longer each time. Not only is more and more being understood and written about rural poverty and rural development, but the act of writing has also forced me, not always willingly, in unexpected directions. The book began with six chapters but the last one grew into three, and now there is yet more I would like to add. But the time has come to stop, recognising this as only a stage in a journey in which there is far still to go.
The book is for people who are concerned with rural poverty and rural development. Some are from rich countries, but the great majority are professionals in Third World countries, working in government departments, voluntary agencies, political parties, commercial organisations, schools, universities, training institutes and research organisations. It is an attempt to speak to both practitioners and academics, and to both social scientists and physical and biological scientists, without distinction of profession or discipline. It is about rural poverty and the perceptions, attitudes, learning, ways of thinking and behaviour of professionals. Its original title was 'Putting the Last First: Reversals for Rural Development, and it retains reversals as a central theme - the need for them, their feasibility, and their personal implications.