Problems and Development Strategies

Problems of the Third World Countries

The developing world cities are suffering many very serious problems. These are a consequence of the
rapid population growth, a lack of capital to invest and a non-existent, very poor and/or outdated
infrastructure.

1. Collapsing infrastructure. Many cities in the developing world do not have an infrastructure that is
capable of dealing with the massive increases in population. In addition, the governments do not have
sufficient funds available to maintain the facilities, let alone improve them. Particular problems arise
because of the inadequacy of the road and sewerage networks - see next point.

2. Increasing levels of pollution. Pollution of air, land and water is a major problem in most developing
world cities. The drive to industrialization brings with it inevitable problems, especially as legislation to
protect the environment is often non-existent or rarely enforced. Furthermore, the hidden economy can
add to the levels of pollution as small, unlicensed industries are set up in peoples homes or on rooftops.
These industries release their pollutants into the air, land and water.

3. Increased volume of traffic on poorly maintained roads. The water supply can also become polluted
as inadequate sewerage facilities allow the spread of harmful bacteria. Indeed, death from water-borne
disease is one of the biggest causes of high infant mortality rates. 4. Inadequate housing and services.
Shanty towns display most problems typical of developing world cities. On arrival at the city, it is most
likely that the migrant will find him having to create his own shelter, live on the streets or rent a single
room. In Calcutta, "Hotbed Hotels" rent rooms on an eight hour basis, whilst in Mexico City, over ten
million live in shanty towns.

5. The shanty town is likely to be found on inappropriate land. Maybe it is prone to flooding or is very
steeply sloping, increasing the chances of a landslip. It could be on a piece of land that has been badly
polluted by a neighbouring industry. The shelters made of wood and high population densities increase
the risk of fire. 6. The services will be non-existent or incapable of maintaining a basic standard of living.
The lack of basic services like a clean water supply, rubbish collection and sewerage disposal mean that
the risks of disease are very high. 7. A lack of employment means that people have to look for other
ways of earning money. In Manila, children scavenge on refuse sites collecting cans for recycling. As well
as being unpleasant, the risk of injury is high and any cuts will become infected. Hospital waste is also
dumped on the site with hypodermic needles adding to the dangers of serious infection.

1. Hunger More than 870 million people of the entire third world population have no food to eat or a
very precarious food supply i.e. more than the population of the US and the European Union combined.
Pretty much the entire undernourished population of the world lives in third world countries, like Africa,
Somalia and many more, some even unheard of. 60 percent of these hungry are women, 50 percent of
pregnant women in developing countries lack proper maternal care, resulting in over 300,000 maternal
deaths annually from childbirth. A third of all childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by hunger
related diseases, around 2.6 million deaths per year, one child every five seconds.
2. Social and Cultural Exclusion

Again, a third world country or not social exclusion is basically the state where people lose their self-
confidence and bury themselves into deeper and deeper wretched poverty along with greater isolation.
With no social and cultural framework, a country can go haywire due to complete loss of morals and
ethics from the society. Free will, as great as a gift it is considered to be, will prove to be the worst
nightmare for any third world country. No wonder countries like Sierra Leone, Colombia are still in
existence.

3. Pollution

Let’s suppose, if one of the countries in the third world is barely hanging on to life overcoming all the
problems mentioned above and trying to get through this journey of life, it is however bothered with
the nuisance problem of pollution. Pollution as we’ve been studying since 1st grade is destroying our
environment and our place of habitat, still nobody seems to be bothered enough, at least none of the
industrialized countries with their nuclear toxic power plants seem to be. Air, water or earth pollution is
threatening the lives of, not only people in the third world; but everyone on this planet.

4. War

War in third world country Most of the countries that fall in the third world category or the ones that
are developing are either facing heavy duty corruption or buried deep under the ashes of war. Civil wars,
cold wars, war on religion and so on, are fought no matter how low or pitiful the country’s condition,
you might be wondering how? Well it just happens to be the policy of certain country’s to help these
third world countries at the time of war for arms and ammunition and medic and supplies for the army
just so they could live through the war and pay an even huger amount of debt. Something really
inhumane, isn’t it? Well countries like the US, China, Russia have these ill-traits of supporting war.

5. Health Care

Health problem third world country Women, children and men that die every year just because of lack
of preventable health care services seem only to be increasing. More than 800 million people have no
access to health care, and that’s just a rough calculation, there might be hundreds of thousands not
even recorded. As health care isn’t readily available everywhere in the world, this is why most of the
entire world’s population dies of silly preventable diseases like common cold and diarrhea.

6. HIV/AIDS and Other Diseases

HIV problem in third world country HIV is on the verge of becoming the greatest epidemic some of the
third world countries have ever seen. Around 40 million people are living with Aids. 65 percent out of
them are women. According to a research about 90 percent of all children and 60 percent of all women
affected by HIV are living in the sub-Saharan Africa. About other diseases, well more than 11 million
children die each year from preventable health issues such as malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.

7. Agriculture

Agriculture problem in third world country More than half the population of all the developing nations
in the world depends on Agriculture or farming for survival and for at least two meals a day. That is
almost 75 percent of the world’s poorest people, approx. 1.4 billion women, children and men.
However, the even more intriguing fact is that 50 percent of hungry people are farming families. A lot of
internationally acclaimed projects are carried out every year in order to train and empower these
people from such countries to at least to help them learn to live off Agriculture.

8. No Electricity Supply

Electricity problem in third world country A quarter or more of the entire human population lives
without electricity in pitch black darkness as the night falls, along with the eternal darkness that
overshadows their fates. That is around 1.6 billion people who do not know something like electricity
exists. They are technically still living in Stone Age, no computers, no internet, no appliances, just
nothing.

9. Drinking Water

Drinking water third world country problem Ever been in a situation when you were really thirsty and
didn’t have any water around you? At least not drinkable water; what would have you done? Probably
run down to the nearest store and get a bottle mineral water and quench your ever so unbearable thirst.
Well, imagine feeling thirsty and not having any water at all, not around you, not anywhere. No taps, no
department stores, no pools, no lakes, not even a river; just the thought of it suffocates you, doesn’t it?
More than a billion people do not have adequate access to clean drinking water and estimate 400
million of these are children again.

10. Poverty

Poverty third world country Poverty is definitely one of the skeletal reasons of why third world countries
are called third world countries. If people weren’t poor, they would live well above the poverty line, that
simple, but what exactly is Poverty? You could be wondering. Well as per UN standards I believe,
poverty means living on $2.50 a whole day and extreme poverty is living on a $1.25 or less. Around 1
billion of these people are innocent little children, infants. According to the UN approx. 22,000 children
die each day in these countries due to poverty.

Agricultural Development
The Philippines is still primarily an agricultural country despite the plan to make it an industrialized
economy by 2000. Most citizens still live in rural areas and support themselves through agriculture. The
country's agriculture sector is made up of 4 sub-sectors: farming, fisheries, livestock, and forestry (the
latter 2 sectors are very small), which together employ 39.8 percent of the labor force and contribute 20
percent of GDP. The country's main agricultural crops are rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, bananas,
pineapple, coffee, mangoes, tobacco, and abaca (a banana-like plant). Secondary crops include peanut,
cassava, camote (a type of root crop), garlic, onion, cabbage, eggplant, calamansi (a variety of lemon),
rubber, and cotton. The year 1998 was a bad year for agriculture because of adverse weather
conditions. Sector output shrank by 8.3 percent, but it posted growth the following year. Yet, hog
farming and commercial fishing posted declines in their gross revenues in 1999. The sector is burdened
with low productivity for most of its crops. The Philippines exports its agricultural products around the
world, including the United States, Japan, Europe, and ASEAN countries (members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations). Major export products are coconut oil and other coconut products, fruits and
vegetables, bananas, and prawns (a type of shrimp). Other exports include the Cavendish banana,
Cayenne pineapple, tuna, seaweed, and carrageenan. The value of coconut-product exports amounted
to US$989 million in 1995 but declined to US$569 million by 2000. Imported agricultural products
include unmilled wheat and meslin, oilcake and other soybean residues, malt and malt flour, urea, flour,
meals and pellets of fish, soybeans and whey. One of the most pressing concerns of the agricultural
sector is the rampant conversion of agricultural land into golf courses, residential subdivisions, and
industrial parks or resorts. In 1993 the nation was losing irrigated rice lands at a rate of 2,300 hectares
per year. Small land-holders find it more profitable to sell their land to developers in exchange for cash,
especially since they lack capital for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and wages for hiring workers to plant
and harvest the crops. Another concern is farmers' continued reliance on chemical-based fertilizers or
pesticides that have destroyed soil productivity over time. In recent years however, farmers have been
slowly turning to organic fertilizer, or at least to a combination of chemical and organic inputs.
Environmental damage is another major concern. Coral-reef destruction, pollution of coastal and marine
resources, mangrove forest destruction, and siltation (the clogging of bodies of water with silt deposits)
are significant problems. The agriculture sector has not received adequate resources for the funding of
critical programs or projects, such as the construction of efficient irrigation systems. According to the
World Bank, the share of irrigated crop land in the Philippines averaged only about 19.5 percent in the
mid-1990s, compared with 37.5 percent for China, 24.8 percent for Thailand, and 30.8 percent for
Vietnam. In the late 1990s, the government attempted to modernize the agriculture sector with the
Medium Term Agricultural Development Plan and the Agricultural Fisheries Modernization Act. The
fisheries sector is divided into 3 sub-sectors: commercial, municipal, and aquaculture (cultivation of the
natural produce of bodies of water). In 1995, the Philippines contributed 2.2 million tons, or 2 percent of
total world catch, ranking it twelfth among the top 80 fish-producing countries. In the same year, the
country also earned the distinction of being the fourth biggest producer of seaweed and ninth biggest
producer of world aquaculture products. In 1999 the fisheries sector contributed P80.4 billion at current
prices, or 16 percent of gross value added in agriculture. Total production in 1999 reached 2.7 million
tons. Aquaculture contributed the most, with 949,000 tons, followed closely by commercial fishing with
948,000 tons, and municipal fisheries with 910,000 tons. Domestic demand for fish is substantial, with
average yearly fish consumption at 36kg per person compared to a 12kg figure for consumption of meat
and other food products.

The Philippines is an agrarian country, with half of its population engaged in farming. In 2017, the
agriculture and forestry sector alone contributed 8.4% to national GDP – a share which rises to 9.6% if
fisheries are included – according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Agriculture in
the Philippines has been struggling with fragmentation and low levels of technology adoption and
specialization. However, the sector enjoys good fundamentals given the country’s farming traditions, its
large farming population, and its good global position as an exporter of coconut, sugar, and fish. The
Philippines’ staple food is rice, which it produces but also imports in significant quantities. The country
does not produce wheat or other small grains and also imports most of the dairy products it consumes.
This report provides a complete and detailed analysis of the agriculture sector for the Philippines. EMIS
Insights presents in-depth business intelligence in a standard format across countries and regions,
providing a balanced mix between analysis and data. What this report allows you to do: Understand the
key elements at play in the agriculture sector in the Philippines Access forecasts for growth in the sector
Crystallise the forces both driving and restraining this sector in the Philippines Gain insight into land and
climate issues Ascertain the Philippines’s position in the global sector Build a complete perspective on
sector trade, investment and employment Understand the competitive landscape and who the major
players are View M&A activity and major deals Gain an understanding of the regulatory environment for
the sector in the Philippines Build a clear picture of trends, production and consumption for specific sub-
sectors (e.g. grains, vegetables and livestock farming).

Industrialization and/in the Third World Countries

The process of industrialization in the Third World has in certain parts been impressive during the past
10 to 15 years. In particular the so- called Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) have increased their
share of world industrial production. However, the share of the Third World nations in total trade of
manufactured finished goods is still only marginal. The rapid industrialization in a limited number of
Third World nations implied a strong increase in exports of manufactured goods from the developing
world. A similar strong increase in imports of capital goods from western industrialized countries has
been manifest. This led to a so-called New international division of labour. As a result of this the Third
World is increasingly becoming more heterogeneous, differentiated and hierarchized. A handful of Third
World countries are benefiting from a mole profound process of industrialization, leaving the majority of
the countries in a situation of economic stagnation, or even decline. Even within the group of NICs large
differences exist, making it difficult to establish some kind of fypology of industrialization patterns..
Nevertheless, with all its shortcomings a typology of industrialization in the Third World might be
suggested: (1) Third World countries mainly pursuing an export-oriented industrialization strategy (EOI),
based on the export of manufactured finished and semi-finished products to Western markets. The
developing countries within this category are primarily the so- called NICs. (2) The countries which at
least at the outset are orienting their industrialization towards the home market, the import-
substitution industrialization strategy (ISI), demanding capital and consumption goods of a luxury as well
as mass consumption nature. This industrialization strategy is mainly represented in Latin America. It
may successively lead to an exploration of market in the region and/or of neighbouring North American
markets. (3) The countries in possession of natural resources of a strategic nature, notably oil, providing
large revenues to be used for a hasty process of industrialization fused on project-import, which
immediately can be incorporated into a production process providing capital and consumption goods.
The imports of tum-key factories tend to put emphasis on heavy industries. (4) Finally, the great
majority of the Third World and particularly many African countries, not constituting particularly
attractive markets for the foreign private capital, rely on a sporadic and gradual policy of import
substitution. This industrialization strategy unfurl scarce resources is often initiated by the state, one of
the most important, if not the only, institution tint can secured an investable surplus which is most often
extracted from the agricultural sector.
A classification of various forms of industrialization as the above can only be superficial in nature, as
several countries are pursuing different industrialization strategies simultaneously. In order to grasp the
broader and general development tendencies (inclusive of the built-in contradictions and constraints)
the classification might be useful, mainly from a heuristic point of view. The more successful examples of
industrialization patterns of a more profound nature seem to be the combined result of, on the one
hand, the internationalization of capital and, on the other hand, the historic- specific developed patterns
of accumulation in the countries in question, where the role of the state seems to be crucial. And con-
versely: in cases where the peripheral nations do not constitute major, attractive markets for investment
capital, and where the peripheral state does not have much material basis for is policy efforts regarding
attracting foreign capital, industrialization prospects are most often quite limited. The changing world
economy during the past 15 to 2O years bears witness to this picture of a much more differentiated and
heterogeneous pattern of industrialization in the Third World. The once prevalent prospective world
market conjunctures not only fostered the successful examples of industrialization hand-in-hand with
peripheral state policies in favour of foreign investments. It also restricted industrialization processes to
develop in other places. And with the recent world market recession and the promotion of protectionist
policies in major western markets, the usual pattern of the more successful nations. moving from a
stage of import substitution to export orientation, might be only an example of the past. The Third
World nations now opting for a hasty process of industrialization not only face the results of
international economic recession, but also the disadvantages of being late and the consequences of the
debt crisis and structural adjustment policies.

Rural and Urban Development

Rural Development
Rural development is refers to the process and improving the quality of life and economic well-being of
people living in relatively isolated and sparsely populated area. Also it is refers to the traditionally
centered on the exploitation of land-intensive natural resources such as agriculture and forestry.

The Nature of Rural Problems

 Low Income
 Unemployment
 Low quality of social services like education and healthcare.
 Their remoteness from major urban centers
 No Capital
 Absence of Economic and Social Infrastructures.

Rural Areas: Roots of Poverty

The world's poorest people are found in rural areas. One of the main reason is, because agriculture is
their primary and often only source of income pf poor rural people, most of whom depends in
subsistence fishing and farming of their livelihood.

Economic Opportunities are extremely rare. In general, illiteracy, unemployment, and the incidence of
poverty are higher among the ingenious peoples and people living in the up land areas.

Without enough foods, cloth and shelter. Among the causes of rural poverty are a decline in the
productivity and profitability of farming, smaller farm sizes and unsustainable practices that have led to
disforestation and depleted fishing waters.

The Key programs of the government for rural development are:

Agrarian Reform Program

Agrarian Reform could be defined as the rectification of the whole system of agriculture. It is normally
done by the government where they redistribute the agricultural land among the farmers of the
country.

The agrarian reform is concerned with the relation between production and distribution of land among
the farmers. It also concerns the processing of the raw materials that are produced by farming the land
from the respective industries.

There can be different types of agrarian reform measures like credit measures, integration of land and
training of the farmers. The measures also focus on securing the rights of the farmers, the rights of the
peasants working on leased land and aiding them in availing loans from private sectors. The government
must also offer support services to the farmers which complement the other measures. They also run
campaigns to increase the camaraderie level between the farmers.

Cooperatives Development Authority (R.A. 6939)

An Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to promote the viability and growth of cooperatives as
instruments of equity, social justice and economic development, defining its powers, functions and
responsibilities, rationalizing government policies and agencies with cooperative functions, supporting
cooperative development, transferring the registration and regulation functions of existing government
agencies on cooperatives as such and consolidating the same with the authority, appropriating funds
therefor, and for other purposes.

The very reason by implementing this law is to facilitates coordination of various cooperative programs
and activities of government agencies, non-government organizations and cooperatives.

Labor-Intensive Industry
Industries that produce goods or services requiring a large amount of labor. Traditionally, labor intensive
industries were determined by the amount of capital needed to produce the goods and services.
Examples of labor intensive industries include agriculture, mining, hospitality and food service.

Manpower Development

Manpower development, now commonly referred to as human resource development, is an ongoing

process that analyzes, forecasts and projects an organization’s future manpower requirements. In other
words, manpower development focuses on such issues as whether the organization is ready to
compensate for the loss of experience from retiring employees and if employees are adequately
prepared to implement organizational change.

The objective of human resource manpower development is to provide a framework for employees to
develop their competencies necessary for individual and organizational efficiency and productivity as
well as career growth. The employer is responsible for devising programs geared toward an employee's
career development and job skills acquisition after employment through training, performance
management and organization development. Manpower development is typically a part of the
organization's human resource strategy and aims to maximize human capital potential so as to attain
strategic business objectives.

And the other program/project like:

 Nutrition Program
 Integrated Area Development Program
 Rural Electrification Program
 Fishing Resource Management
 Medium and Small Scales Industries
 Family Planning

Urban Development
Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and design of land
use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban
areas, such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks and the provision of municipal
services to residents and visitors. Urban planning deals with physical layout of human settlements. The
primary concern is the public welfare, which includes considerations of efficiency, sanitation, protection
and use of the environment, as well as effects on social and economic activities. Urban planning is
considered an interdisciplinary field that includes social, engineering and design sciences. It is closely
related to the field of urban design and some urban planners provide designs for streets, parks, buildings
and other urban areas. Urban planning is also referred to as urban and regional planning, regional
planning, town planning, city planning, rural planning, urban development or some combination in
various areas worldwide.
Urbanization has been a significant phenomenon globally, and has potentially been a key contributor to
progressive development. Over the last half-century, the world has become increasingly urbanised. In
East Asia, over 50 per cent of people live in cities and, today, the whole of Asia is home to more than
half of the world’s megacities. This trend is expected to continue, with 75 per cent of today’s world
population projected to be living in urban areas in the next 35 years. This is an exponential increase
from the 1950s when the total population was only 2.5 billion.

The Philippine experience sees nearly half of the population residing in urban centers, with almost 25
per cent in the capital alone. Massive urban sprawl across the south and east ends has expanded the
metropolis into the Greater Manila Area. This expanded metropolitan area has a population of about 25
million, or a quarter of the country’s total population. Over the past two decades, regions within and
adjacent to Metro Manila have sporadically grown without proper planning, with their capacities unable
to keep up with a growing urban population.

Urban Areas Key Issues

RAPID URBAN POPULATION GROWTH

In 2008, more than half of the world human population, 3.3 billion people, lived in urban areas. By 2030,
this is expected to balloon to almost 5 billion. Most of this growth will be in developing countries. The
urban population of Africa and Asia is expected to double between 2000 and 2030 (UNFPA, 2007).

RISE OF MEGACITIES

Urban centers are increasing in size and number. At the beginning of the last century, there were only
11 megacities in the world with populations of more than 1 million each. By 2030, UN predicts that there
will be more than 500 cities in the world with populations of more than 1 million each; more than half of
these cities will be in Asia. In addition, the peri-urban areas in many big cities are rapidly expanding.

HIGH URBAN POVERTY LEVEL

Asia's poor represent about 70% of the world's poor-nearly one in three Asians is poor. Almost 25% of
Asia's urban population is poor, and the rate is increasing, as there is a continuous influx of poor people
into cities.

INADEQUATE BASIC SERVICES

Large number of Asian cities cannot adequately provide urban basic services to the increasing number of
urban residents. Less than half of the cities population is covered by water supply. A number of cities do
not have efficient systems of solid waste collection. Majority of the cities in developing countries do not
have sewerage system connections, and sanitary landfill facilities.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRATION IN URBAN AREAS

With an increasing population density, especially in slums areas, environmental and health problems are
rising. In addition to mitigating air and noise pollution and controlling wastes, managing the
consumption of non-renewable resources have become more serious concerns.