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RuralDevelopmentApproachesandStrategies Paper15
RuralDevelopmentApproachesandStrategies Paper15
Abstract
The main objective of this research paper is to understand the approaches and
strategies that are necessary to bring about development of rural communities. In rural
communities, there are number of aspects that need to be developed. These include,
education, employment opportunities, agriculture and farming practices, administration and
management, infrastructure, civic amenities, health care and medical and environmental
conditions. When improvements would take place in these areas, then rural individuals would
be able to secure better livelihoods opportunities. Furthermore, when approaches and
strategies are formulated by the Government, organizations and other agencies, then it is vital
to generate awareness among rural individuals and help them in acquiring benefits of these
measures and approaches in an appropriate manner. The main areas that have been taken into
account in this research paper include, development objectives of rural areas, components of
rural development policy, approaches for rural development, strategies of rural development
and other strategies promoting rural development.
When one is researching upon the concept of rural development, then it is referred to
the overall development of rural communities. It is a multi-dimensional and a comprehensive
concept, which takes into consideration, number of aspects, these include, agriculture and
allied activities, village and cottage industries, farming practices, system of education,
training centres, health care and medical facilities, environmental conditions, housing
accommodation, infrastructure, technology, skills development opportunities for the
individuals, administration and management practices, employment opportunities and human
resource development. When the individuals are researching upon the aspects, which promote
backwardness of rural communities, then it is vital for them to take into consideration
measures, policies and programs that would promote development of all the above stated
aspects. In rural communities, the individuals are experiencing the problems of poverty,
illiteracy and unemployment to a major extent. Therefore, measures and policies also need to
put emphasis upon alleviation of these problems.
The development of rural communities is the ultimate outcome of the transactions
between physical, technological, economic, socio-cultural and institutional factors. The
approaches and the strategies need to be designed to bring about improvements, primarily in
the living conditions of the individuals, belonging to deprived, marginalized and socio-
economically backward sections of the society. To promote the development of rural areas, it
is necessary to represent an intersection between agricultural, social, managerial, behavioural
and engineering sciences (Chapter III. Rural Development Approaches and Strategies in
India, n.d.). When there are implementation of policies, practices, strategies and approaches
aiming at rural development, then the individuals need to generate awareness in terms of
deficient areas and challenges, which the rural individuals are experiencing. The
organizations and agencies are required to work in collaboration and integration with each
other to achieve the desired goals and objectives. Many developing countries have been
working effectively towards development of rural communities and have received significant
outcomes.
In order to bring about improvements in the living conditions and overall quality of
lives, it is necessary to generate a source of income. In rural areas, agriculture and farming
practices are stated as the major occupations of the individuals. Apart from these, they are
engaged in the production and manufacturing of handicrafts, silk weaving, pottery making,
and so forth. Therefore, it can be stated that involvement in employment opportunities and
occupations are the major objectives of not only individuals residing in urban communities,
but also rural individuals. In the agriculture sector, strategies need to focus upon bringing
about improvements in agricultural productivity and marketing of agricultural products. It is
vital for the farmers and agricultural labourers to put into operation, innovative and scientific
methods to augment production. Agricultural income can be increased through the
implementation of two comprehensive methods. These are, stabilizing the prices of
agricultural products and intermediary exploitation and improving agricultural productivity
and infrastructure.
The protective capabilities are referred to the capabilities of the individuals to protect
them from various problems and difficulties. These are particularly the ones, which prove to
be impediments within the course of their progression. These problems are poverty,
malnutrition, illiteracy, unemployment, natural disasters and crime and violence. In rural
communities, when there are occurrence of natural calamities and disasters, then rural
individuals are required to experience detrimental effects to a major extent. The cultivated
land gets easily damaged from floods, erosion, earthquakes etc. The rural individuals, who
are residing in the conditions of poverty, do not possess adequate resources to sustain their
living conditions sufficiently. Therefore, it is vital for them to be aware of the measures and
strategies that are needed to preserve the natural environmental conditions and their well-
being. The protection of forests is not only effectual in the alleviation of natural disasters,
such as, floods, but also protecting land from top-soil erosion and generating awareness in
terms of financial management, hygiene and sanitation.
The rural individuals need to recognize the significance of education. It is vital for
them to get enrolled in educational institutions and training centres and generate information
in terms of various strategies and concepts. Acquisition of education in terms of various
strategies and concepts, would help the individuals to differentiate between appropriate and
inappropriate, provide solutions to various problems, look for employment and income
generation opportunities and sustain their living conditions in an appropriate manner. In order
to eliminate illiteracy, there have been establishment of adult education centres in rural
communities, to provide training to adults. These adults, have either never been to school
before, or have dropped out, before their educational skills are honed. There have been
implementation of programs and measures, which aim at promoting welfare of the rural
individuals. The main areas, upon which these measures are focused upon include,
agriculture and farming practices, education and training opportunities, employment
opportunities, skills development, law and order, management and administration,
infrastructure development, development of civic amenities, environmental preservation
methods and so forth.
Political capabilities are the capabilities that facilitate the participation of the
individuals in policy-making and in the making of decisions, on an independent basis in
situations, where human rights are guaranteed. The rural development approaches have the
main objective to make the development plans corresponding to the various conditions of the
rural communities and to implement the projects through community participation.
Development assistance, which responds rapidly to the local needs and requirements, needs
to work in integration and co-operation with the governments. For this reason,
decentralization is regarded as an important factor in the local community development.
Appropriate decentralization measures are required in the rural development activities. The
major activities include, capacity building of the central governments and improvements in
laws and financial management for decentralization. The rural development projects should
be consistent with the local government development plans. If there are differences, then
impediments would take place in the achievement of the desired objectives.
The policies that are formulated to bring about rural development are required to
incorporate the components, which have been stated as follows:
Law and Order – In rural communities, the establishment of law and order enables the
individuals to organize tasks and activities in accordance to the rules and policies. Law and
order is referred to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity, which the citizens are required
to put into operation for obeying the law of land (Chapter III. Role in Maintenance of Law
and Order of District, n.d.). For instance, there has been prevalence of discriminatory
treatment and criminal and violent acts within rural communities. Through the
implementation of law and order, the individuals, who are doers, get subjected to disciplinary
action. Therefore, the main objective of law and order is to ensure the individuals make
provision of equal rights and opportunities to both males and females. Furthermore, there
should not be any kind of discrimination on the basis of any factors, including, caste, creed,
race, religion, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic background. The individuals should
inculcate the traits of morality and ethics among themselves, for leading to progression of
themselves as well as the community as a whole.
Education – The education is regarded as the main instrument that lays the foundation
for the individuals to lead to progress in all areas and enrich their overall quality of lives. In
rural communities, the system of education is not in a well-developed state. In schools, the
teaching-learning methods and instructional strategies are not put into practice in an effective
manner, there is lack of infrastructure, facilities and amenities and shortage of qualified and
experienced teachers. Measures need to be formulated to bring about improvements in these
aspects, so there would be an increase in the enrolment of students in schools. Acquisition of
education would enable the individuals to augment their skills and abilities, so they can carry
out tasks and activities to sustain their living conditions in an appropriate manner.
The First Five Year Plan (1951-1956), adopted the Harrod - Domer model of capital
accumulation and saving mobilization as a methodological approach. The Community
Development Program (CPD) was put into practice to achieve the desired objective.
The Second Five Year Plan (1956-1961) was based upon the Feldman - Mahalnobis
model of sectorial growth. This strategy invested in the strategies to achieve industrialization,
which is considered as the main aspect of economic development.
In the Third Five Year Plan (1961-1966), all round agricultural development was
envisaged. The increase in the agricultural production and allied activities received top
priority during this plan period. Agricultural programs such as, Intensive Agricultural Area
Development Program (IAADP) and High Yield Varieties Program (HYVP) were
implemented within the country.
During the annual plans (1966-1969), few more programs were implemented to
achieve all round development. The important programs were, Farmers Training and
Education Programs, Rural Works Program (RWP), Tribal Development Block, Rural
Manpower Program and Composite Program for Women and Child Development.
During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-1974), efforts were initiated in the name of
“Growth with Social Justice” towards uplifting the deprived, marginalized and economically
weaker sections of the society. The important rural development programs were, Small
Farmers Development Agency (SFDA), Marginal Farmers and Agricultural Labourers
Development Agency (MFAL), Drought Prone Area Program (DPAP) and Tribal Area
Development Program (TADP).
The Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-1979) was based on the inter-sectorial transactions
model of Leontif, which has put emphasis upon the strengthening of the inter-sectorial
linkages for balanced growth of the sectors. The major programs that were introduced are,
Command Area Development Program (CADP), Hill Area Development Programs (HADP),
Minimum Needs Program (MNP), Food for Work Program (FWP) and 20-Point economic
program.
The Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-1985), aimed at the removal of poverty, growth,
modernization, self-reliance and social justice. To attain the all-round development of rural
communities, one single program, which was called the ‘Integrated Rural Development
Program’ (IRDP) was introduced. IRDP is regarded as the multi-sector, multi-level and
multi-section concept of rural development. The other programs that were introduced are,
National Rural Employment Program (NREP), Rural Landless Employment Guarantee
Program (RLEGP), Economic Rehabilitation of Rural Poor (ERRP), Training of Rural Youth
for Self-Employment (TRYSEM), Self-Employment for the Educated Unemployed Youth
(SEEVY) and Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA).
The important objectives of the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990) were to build an
independent self-reliant economy, establishment of social system, based on equity and
justice, reduction of regional imbalance and implementation of advanced technologies. Some
of the rural infrastructural programs that have been introduced during this plan period are,
Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Integrated Rural Energy Planning Program (IREP), Jawahar
Rozgar Yojana (JRY) and Million Wells Scheme (MWS).
In the Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997), the important objectives were, generation
of employment opportunities, universalization of elementary education, provision of safe
drinking water and primary health care facilities and reinforcement of the infrastructural
facilities. The programs that were introduced were, Intensified Jawahar Rozgar Yojana
(IJRY), Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS), Operation Black Board (OBB) and District
Primary Education Program (DPEP).
The Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) aimed at generating employment opportunities
in the secondary sector, all round development of the agriculture sector, strengthening of the
rural economy through the establishment of agro-based industries, small-scale industries,
cottage industries and alleviation of poverty. The important anti-poverty programs include,
IRDP, TRYSEM, IAY, JRY, IJRY, DPAP, EAS and so forth.
The approaches for rural development need to focus upon making provision of
remedies to the problems, experienced by rural individuals. These problems mainly include,
poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and homelessness. When improvements need to be made
in rural communities, then it is vital to pay adequate attention to urban communities, as they
are regarded as the main consumers of agricultural produce. In order to bring about effective
solutions to these problems, it is vital to formulate measures, programs and schemes, which
are dedicated towards alleviating these problems and bringing about improvements in the
overall living conditions of the individuals. Therefore, it is clear that improvements need to
be brought about in the traditional rural development approaches (Chapter 4. Effective
Approaches for Rural Development, n.d.).
Endogenous Development
Participatory Development
The strategies for rural development are based upon rural development approaches.
Improvements have been brought about in these strategies, after the country achieved it
independence. These have been stated as follows: (Chapter III. Rural Development
Approaches and Strategies in India, n.d.).
The rural development approach within the country began with the multi-purpose
approach. The Community Development Program (CPD) began in 1952. It had the main
objective of promoting development of material and human resources through the co-
operative efforts of the individuals and assistance available from the state. It was regarded as
an educational and an organizational process. Since, it also aimed at bringing about changes
in the practices and procedures, which proved to be barriers within the course of
implementation of desired objectives. The major objective was social and economic
improvement. The rationale of the approach was, all aspects were linked with each other. The
activities of CPD included, agriculture, animal husbandry, irrigation, water resources, co-
operation, village and small scale industries, health and sanitation, communication, housing
and so forth. Therefore, it can be stated that development of welfare and livelihoods
opportunities was one of the primary objectives of multi-purpose strategy.
The growth oriented strategy was based on rural individuals. Though rural individuals
are residing in the conditions of poverty and backwardness, but they also possess sharp mind-
sets and can make wise decisions. In order to participate in effective decision making
processes, they should be provided with rights and opportunities. The main objective of rural
individuals is to enhance their living conditions and to achieve this purpose, they are looking
for employment and income generating opportunities. Therefore, it can be stated that the
implementation of opportunities that would promote growth of the individuals in an
efficacious manner are referred to as growth oriented strategies. Agricultural sector is the
major area of employment and livelihood opportunities for the rural individuals, therefore,
the implementation of programs, such as, Intensive Agriculture District Program (IADP),
Intensive Cattle Development Program (ICDP) and High Yielding Varieties Program
(HYVP) was launched. This gave rise to Green Revolution. But this strategy provided
assistance to wealthier farmers. On the other hand, the deprived farmers remained in a
backward state.
In the target group strategy, a particular group is undertaken and researched upon.
Normally, as in this case, strategies for rural development are being researched upon.
Therefore, conditions may be analysed of small and marginal farmers, as well as wealthier
farmers. The conditions of small and marginal farmers are not in an improved state. They are
residing in the conditions of poverty and backwardness and therefore are unaware of modern
and innovative strategies and methods that are considered essential to augment production.
They are instead making use of traditional farming practices and methods in the production
processes. On the other hand, wealthy farmers are making use of technical and scientific
methods to enhance production. It has been studied upon that farmers are getting enrolled in
training centres and educational institutions to develop their knowledge and generate
awareness in terms of scientific, modern and innovative methods and practices. The
Antyodaya Schemes is the target approach. This approach produced the client-oriented design
and the ultimate goal is to transfer the responsibilities of planning and development to the
clientele themselves.
Under the area development strategy, emphasis has been put upon the development of
backward regions. This strategy presumes that the growth centres have a geographical spread
effect that the regions, which are deficient in terms of resources or infrastructure etc. needs to
be adequately developed. The major programs that have been formulated under this strategy
are, Drought Prone Area Program (DPAP), Tribal Area Development Program (TADP),
Command Area Development Program (CADP), Hill Area Development Program and so
forth. The tribal population is scattered throughout the country. They are mostly residing in
hilly and mountainous regions. They are dependent upon the natural environmental
conditions for their survival. Therefore, it is vital to implement measures and formulate
strategies that are focused upon the development of tribal areas. In order to generate the
desired outcomes, it is necessary to allocate the resources in an appropriate manner, so
development of backward regions can promote well-being of the individuals.
The spatial planning strategy is the strategy that demands for implementation of
special programs in their respective locations, induction of the production plans, employment
programs and supply of basic needs of rural population. In order to achieve these objectives,
the programs and the strategies need to be rural oriented. In the fifth five year plan, multi-
level planning is the planning that was focused upon to a large extent. In addition to multi-
level planning, it was vital for the individuals to generate awareness in terms of techno-
economic, socio-political and administrative functions. As it is apparent, when improvements
need to be made or when transformations need to be brought about, then emphasis need to be
put upon the implementation of modern and innovative methods. In some of the areas, when
there is lack of materials and resources, then it would lead to hindrances within the course of
achievement of desired objectives. On the other hand, shortage of techniques need to be
analysed and plans should be efficiently put into operation to promote welfare and goodwill
of rural population.
Participatory Strategy
During the past two decades, various new approaches like the top-down planning,
planning from below, bottom up planning, micro-level planning and multi-level planning,
have been put into operation within the framework of involving the individuals in the phase
of development. As the name implies, participatory strategy is concerned with the
involvement of individuals in the formulation of strategies and approaches. In the tenth five
year plan, the government has devised participatory strategy to promote the development of
rural communities. Provision has been made to augment social and economic opportunities
for the individuals and groups, by encouraging their participation in the decision making
processes. In the decision making processes, the individuals are required to conduct an
analysis of the alternatives and put into operation the one, which is most meaningful and
beneficial. When the individuals are participating in the decision making processes, then they
are required to implement rational and logical thinking. The rural individuals are well-aware
in terms of opportunities, which would lead to improvements in their living conditions.
Anti-poverty Measures
Food Production
There are cases of project implementation in terms of development of food areas. For
alleviating the problem of malnutrition and for improving food supply, it is necessary to put
into operation, a comprehensive approach. The formation of the system, which transmits the
lessons to other rural communities and development of agricultural practices need to be
implemented. To augment food production, it is apparent that measures should be put into
practice to improve agricultural productivity. One of the vital measures to augment
agricultural productivity is by making use of modern and innovative methods, scientific
approaches and technologies. The farmers and agricultural labourers get enrolled in training
centres and also pursue educational programs, which may generate awareness among them in
terms of these areas. In addition, there should also be formation of a system to transmit
lessons to other areas that have been learned from model projects. There should be co-
operation between the production plans and agricultural development plans to achieve the
desired goals. The important role of agriculture has been acknowledged in leading to growth
and causing a reduction in rural poverty and malnutrition has been highlighted in the World
Development Report of 2008 (Sector Approaches in Agriculture and Rural Development,
2008).
The rural individuals are dependent upon the natural environmental conditions for
meeting their daily needs and requirements to a major extent. They normally experience
shortage of water within their homes. Water is considered as the basic necessity and hence,
they obtain it from the wells and water bodies located nearby. Rural individuals, in some
cases are also dependent upon natural environmental conditions for treating their wounds and
illnesses. They obtain herbs and medicinal plants from the forests. Another important benefit
of the forests is, individuals obtain fruits and vegetables for satisfying their nutritional
requirements. In addition, the promotion of effective forest-resource use and the combination
of alternative techniques, such as the use of biogas and cow manure are also required. As in
rural households, individuals usually make use of mud stoves and require wood, which they
obtain from forests. Hence, after acquiring information in terms of these aspects, it is vital for
the rural individuals to formulate measures in terms of preservation of the natural
environment. The efforts to promote local or indigenous agricultural systems, increasing
awareness regarding biodiversity conservation, food security and contribution to natural
landscape and cultural heritage are significant factors in promoting livelihoods security and
sustainable development of rural individuals (Participatory and Negotiated Territorial
Development, 2005).
Reconstruction Support
Administrative Capabilities
Conclusion
The five year plans included the implementation of programs and schemes that
focused upon development of rural communities. The strategies for rural development are,
multi-purpose strategy, growth oriented strategy, target group strategy, area development
strategy, spatial planning strategy, integrated or holistic strategy and participatory strategy.
The other strategies promoting rural development are, anti-poverty measures, food
production, conservation of the natural environment, reconstruction support and
administrative capabilities. In rural communities, individuals have recognized the
significance of education. They have also generated information that making use of modern
and scientific methods and technology in the production processes will lead to increase in
productivity and profitability. But the conditions of poverty, malnutrition and scarcity of
resources are proving to be major impediments within the course of achievement of the
desired objectives. Hence, the main purpose of other strategies is to form the overall rural
environmental conditions in such a manner that would lead to effective growth and
development of individuals and communities.
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