This paper describes the experience of rural development in Bangladesh by (i) highlighting the key stylized facts about the dynamics of the rural economy, (ii) summarising the key approaches, policies and programmes adopted for rural development, and (iii) making recommendations for improvement of rural development strategies. The rural economy has become more complex due to the growth of the non-farm sector, migration, commercialisation, development of infrastructure and appearance of new actors such as the NGOs. Farming still plays a critical role but not the central one and rural development strategy has to be more cross-sectoral and multi-occupational in approach.