But this road will cut through the plots of most farmers. This will reduce the size of arable land and amount of food they can grow. The new road will bring many things, good and bad, like pollution. They can’t predict everything that may happen. But they know, if they don’t build the road, the farmers won’t be able to sell their crops in different markets and make more money. What would you choose in this case? Preserve the plots or build the road? Will the new road improve the farmers’ lives enough to make it worthwhile? Can the farmers be retrained to make use of the new business opportunities the road brings? Is this development? How do you choose?

Development workers, government officials, other experts and decisionmakers who work on improving the livelihoods of poor people think about these questions every day. They do so on a much bigger scale. Many different projects are needed to improve communities, and even more to help whole countries. There are many things to consider. This makes decisions very complex, difficult, and, sometimes, controversial.

To find the best solutions, people from all walks of life debate these issues—from the local to the national to the international level. Everybody’s opinion is important. Each individual looks at the situation from a unique position, and sees different advantages and disadvantages. This way when a decision is made, everybody is sure that's as close as possible to the best way to proceed.

That's would be an ideal situation. Sometimes decisionmakers disagree and find it difficult to come up with a good decision because no matter what choice is made, somebody is going to have to give up something of importance. Like the example at the beginning of the story, sometimes it's hard to know what choice will give the greatest good.

What does it mean?

arable: farm land or land that is good for plowing, tilting and soiling.

controversial: causing disagreement or argument.

policy: : A plan or course of action, as of a government, political party, or business, intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters.

IMF: Just like commercial banks lend money to people, the IMF lends money to countries when they have financial difficulties. It also gives countries advice on how to manage their money better so then avoid problems in the future.

annual: It means yearly, every year.

non-governmental organizations (NGOs): : Private or nonprofit organizations that are not affiliated with a governmental body or institution.

Related Links
World Trade Organization