Hypothesen über sozio-strukturelle Auswirkungen der Entwicklungshilfe im ländlichen Raum Westafrikas[Hypotheses on socio-structural impacts of development aid in rural West Africa]

The cumulative impact of successful and unsuccessful rural development projects in Africa since the beginning of colonial rule has been felt in some West African developing countries to such an extent that it has structured the economies and social systems of these countries. The experience of these projects has also had an impact on the mindset of the farmers concerned. Today, development aid (at least for many LLDCs) can be seen as a kind of hidden "shadow budget", which not only serves to divert resources from productive use, but also to widen the gap between the strong and the weak in general. Commercialisation and bureaucratisation - accelerated by development aid - have also led to socio-economic differentiation within the African peasantry and even within individual farming households (along gender and age lines). Finally, the accumulated experience of development aid over two or more generations has had a negative impact on farmers: the apparently change-resistant, tradition-conscious, risk-averse "African farmer" is more the result of this experience than - as is often claimed - a natural inclination of the African farmer.