International development strategies for the Sahel. A conference held at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center Italy October 1974.

In October 1974 a conference on international development problems in the Sahel met at the Villa Serbelloni the Rockefeller Foundations conference center at Bellatio Italy. 14 persons from 7 different nations took part. The focus of the conference was on the prevention of mass human and livestock deaths resulting from drought. The conference approved a proposal for the establishment of a Sahelian research and development institute based on the assumption that the solution to the Sahels problems lies in development. The conferees also sought action that could be taken immediately to ameliorate the effects of drought when next it strikes such as: road building the development of drainage systems and the development of human resources particularly the educational system. The conference also embraced the conclusion that any piecemeal approach to the Sahelian development is inadequate emphasizing a holistic approach instead. This report includes a synopsis of the daily proceedings of the conference and 3 appendicies. Topics discussed include climate agriculture economic problems emergency relief industry livestock community participation in development and research needs.