Pearson (2000) explores the di

Pearson (2000) explores the different WID and GAD approaches
to development in relation to micro-credit. Giving small amounts of credit to
poor farmers in rural areas became a popular tool of poverty alleviation in the
1990s. It was thought that lending small amounts of money would enable farmers
to diversify their livelihoods and set up small-scale business to improve their
income-earning potential and increase self-employment opportunities. One of the
best known rural banks is the Grameen Bank, which began in 1976 in Bangladesh,
with the aim of providing micro-credit for poor households.