The objective of this paper is to stimulate discussion on how to promote greater integration of the rural poor into the benefits of growth and development. The primary geographic area of focus is the Pacific sub-region (including PNG and Timor Leste), drawing also on examples of rural poverty reduction in South East Asian countries (emphasizing Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines). These regions, and particularly the rather specific circumstances of the Pacific, are relatively under-represented in many existing analyses of rural poverty internationally.