In developing countries, the most efficient strategy used for the genetic improvement of rabbits for meat production is the creation and selection of synthetic lines, resulting from the crossing between local populations or breeds and selected European strains. These strains were provided essentially by the University of Valencia (Spain) and the INRA (France). This solution allows to profit from the complementarity between local populations, well adapted to the environment and selected strains, and to benefit from half of the heterosis. It makes possible to provide farmers with improved animals, while ensuring their independence. This paper reviews the main characteristics of such programs in which one of the authors is involved or which were recently described in the literature.