Journal of Sustainable Development Vol. 1. No. 2 EDITORIAL The main elements of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 include a determination to eradicate poverty, change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and protect and manage the environment and the natural resource base for economic and social development. In achieving all these, agriculture and rural development has been given a pride of place by the Summit. Improvements in this sector is considered central for poverty eradication through a focus on infrastructure, transportation, access to markets, food security, and technology transfer as well as the protection and management of the natural resource base for economic and social development. This edition of the Journal of Sustainable Development aptly reflects the thinking of the WSSD with its focus on issues bordering on the sustainability of rural development efforts. The rural sector has a close relationship with economic, social and sustainability issues for regions and communities around the world. The rural economy provides a livelihood for many of the world‟s poorest people. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) estimates that seven out of ten of the world‟s poor live in rural areas. They include smallholders, landless labourers, traditional pastoralists, artisanal fishers and marginalised groups such as refugees, indigenous peoples and female headed households. Food and agriculture are centrally involved in prospects for economic growth, food security, employment generation and the reduction of poverty. The manner with which the rural sector is managed could have both positive and negative impacts on economic, social and environmental sustainability. These impacts will depend on the ultimate scale and mix of production and associated production practices. They will also depend on the ability of producers to adapt to these changes, maintain or expand viable production, diversify, or find alternative livelihoods where specific agricultural production may no longer be viable and opportunities for diversification are not available. This edition of the Journal of Sustainable Development features six papers looking at three main aspects of sustainability with special emphasis on rural development. Ajayi, and Agbamu examined the issues bordering on the sustainability of advisory service delivery, particularly farmers‟ willingness to co-fund service delivery and the training needs of agents of information dissemination. Ogunniyi and Shanmugan and Babu peered into economic analysis of rural resource use. Finally, Yomi Alfred and Ewuola and Agom et al looked at the factors (socio- psychological and socio-economic) affecting uptake of information in rural households. The key message from all these papers is that development cannot be sustained without a deeper understanding of the social dynamics of the process of change and the main actors, especially farmers and extension agents. The section of NEWS makes its debut in this edition. Dear Readers, share your news with others! K. Adebayo