Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States
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The use of co-operatives in rural areas could be encouraged.
Co-operatives are generally successful at increasing productivity and attracting investment. In Iran,
for this to be achieved, co-operative managers may need to be better trained and supervised through
a chain of command in order to ensure that they are fulfilling their duties, particularly in creating an
inclusive, participatory environment. Foremost amongst these duties is the importance of
encouraging and facilitating the participation of rural dwellers and farmers.
Farmers could also be assisted in increasing productivity through the application of modern farming
methods and by providing assistance for the purchase of agricultural products and insuring the
products and foodstuffs.
Supporting infrastructure
Monitoring the changing needs of poor people could support effective design of activation
programmes.
As well as a system to identify the vulnerable, more could be done to understand their needs. As
Iran’s demography is changing, changing needs should be monitored to determine how they change
over time to inform the requirements of activation measures. This could be achieved by ensuring
resources are available to carry out qualitative research to support the gathering of other data.
Access to micro finance to support entrepreneurs in rural areas could be improved.
There are schemes in place in Iran to support entrepreneurs who require financial support.
However, it is more difficult for individuals in rural areas to access these schemes. An effort could be
made to target measures at areas with the highest poverty rates, particularly where job creation
measures, such as entrepreneurship support, are also implemented. This would allow for related
projects to support each other.