Rural Development Approach Research Articles

AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION IN NEPAL: EXPERIENCES AND ISSUES

A detail study on the experience of agricultural extension in Nepal was done by discussion with experts, academicians and involved agricultural officers of Nepal along with review of different documents, books and articles on the subject matter. Since from the first effort of extension service, Training and visit, Integrated Rural Development Approach, Tuki Approach, Farming System Research and Extension Approach, Block Production Program were the approaches used in the past. Conventional Educational Approach, Pocket Package Approach, Projectization Approach, Farmers Group Approach, Farmers Field School Approach, Partnership Approach are the approaches being followed presently in agricultural extension in Nepal. The extension efforts in the country are guided by the National Agricultural Extension Strategy. Department of agriculture under ministry of agricultural development is responsible for providing public extension service via District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), Agriculture Service Centre, Contact Centre, Model Agriculture Service Centre and Community Agriculture Service Centre at the farmers level. Farmers Group and cooperatives, International and National Nongovernmental organizations, Community Based Organizations and few private entities are providing the private extension services. major issues found in public extension systems are lack of motivation among the rural youths, farmers; natural resource degradation and climate change and sustainability issues; inadequate number of the extension workers and their qualification and skills; inadequate infrastructure and capacity for use of ICTs among the ground level extension workers; lack of monitoring and assessment of impact of extension activities in rural farmers; low level of need based extension coverage particularly for small farmers; ineffective and weak linkages between stakeholders at different levels; low level of education of farmers; insufficient budget and investment for extension activities; domination of supply driven approaches rather than demand driven; inadequate extension services in parts of value addition and market exposure.

Local Governance in the Age of Austerity in Greece and the Impact of the EU Leader Approach in the Region of Peloponnesus

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the austerity measures that have been introduced in Greece since 2010 in the patterns of local governance, with a specific focus on the case of the Leader approach for rural development in the Greek region of Peloponnesus. It deploys mixed qualitative techniques in order to outline the changes in local governance capacity and autonomy that resulted from the implementation of the two Memorandums of Understanding and the mid-term Fiscal Strategy since 2010. The diminished local governance capacity and autonomy, and the significant trends towards recentralization are revealed. These are more profound in the case of the five Leader programmes implemented in the region of Peloponnesus. The conclusions drawn by the paper put into serious doubt the mainstream assumptions concerning the impact of austerity measures on the patterns of governance in Greece in general and on local governance in particular.

Production of Medicinal Herbs, an Approach to Sustain the Rural Economy (Case Study: Villages in Ghochan County)

Production of Medicinal Herbs, an Approach to Sustain the Rural Economy (Case Study: Villages in Ghochan County)

The Helix Model System as a Challenge and Driver for Rural and Regional Development

The purpose of this research study is to examine theoretical findings and, based on them, to identify the problems in implementing the Quintuple Helix approach for rural and regional development in Latvia. The research was based on the theoretical concepts of the helix model and the data gained from a survey of all Latvia’s local governments and rural community representatives, and the experience of Latvia University of Agriculture in using the Quintuple Helix approach for rural and regional development. The main conclusions are that cooperation among institutions of various natures, which is the basic idea of the helix model, leads to positive results; it gives an impulse to increasing economic activities in many rural municipalities of Latvia; the experience of the Technology and Knowledge Transfer Center (TEPEK) of Latvia University of Agriculture shows that there are good practices and successful outcomes from implementing the Quintuple Helix approach. Keywords: the Quintuple Helix Model; regional development; innovation; local governments; higher education institutions

A new approach for participative rural development in Georgia – refl ecting transfer of knowledge and enhancing innovation in a non-European Union context

Despite achieving independence 25 years ago, Georgia is still a country in transition which is striving to overcome wideranging economic development problems, particularly evident through out-migration from rural areas to urban centres and foreign countries, as well as through restricted employment integration. The ‘European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development in Georgia’ focuses on local development in rural regions as a main national goal and offers a series of pilot actions to apply LEADER-like activities in various rural parts of the country. In this paper the application of such a pilot scheme in Borjomi Municipality, the observed case study in the Lesser Caucasus, is analysed. Reviews show a highly committed implementation process, comprising the establishment of the Local Action Group, the elaboration of the Local Development Strategy, an on-going mobilisation process of local actors and the transfer of experiences and good practices from European Union Member States. The assessment of the potential of the LEADER approach in the rural and mountainous area of Borjomi Municipality reveals a high degree of acceptance and interest of rural stakeholders and residents to taking up such an approach and engaging in innovative initiatives within the frame of sustainable rural development. Given the short period of work with these ideas so far, continued knowledge transfer, and enhanced appreciation and participation in search of place-specifi c opportunities in rural regions will be essential for successful rural development pathways across Georgia.

A new approach for participative rural development in Georgia – reflecting transfer of knowledge and enhancing innovation in a non-European Union context

Despite achieving independence 25 years ago, Georgia is still a country in transition which is striving to overcome wideranging economic development problems, particularly evident through out-migration from rural areas to urban centres and foreign countries, as well as through restricted employment integration. The ‘European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development in Georgia’ focuses on local development in rural regions as a main national goal and offers a series of pilot actions to apply LEADER-like activities in various rural parts of the country. In this paper the application of such a pilot scheme in Borjomi Municipality, the observed case study in the Lesser Caucasus, is analysed. Reviews show a highly committed implementation process, comprising the establishment of the Local Action Group, the elaboration of the Local Development Strategy, an on-going mobilisation process of local actors and the transfer of experiences and good practices from European Union Member States. The assessment of the potential of the LEADER approach in the rural and mountainous area of Borjomi Municipality reveals a high degree of acceptance and interest of rural stakeholders and residents to taking up such an approach and engaging in innovative initiatives within the frame of sustainable rural development. Given the short period of work with these ideas so far, continued knowledge transfer, and enhanced appreciation and participation in search of place-specifi c opportunities in rural regions will be essential for successful rural development pathways across Georgia.

Reproductive Health Information Needs and Access Among Rural Women in Nigeria: A Study of Nsukka Zone in Enugu State

This article presents a study of the reproductive health information needs and access practices of rural women in Nsukka Cultural Zone, Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Three hundred and fifty women from 14 rural Nsukka communities were surveyed and 335 responses analysed. It was found that the main reproductive health information needs of the women were related to infertility; use of contraception; abortion; prevention of sexually transmitted diseases; antenatal care; and postnatal care. The main existing sources of reproductive health information were found to be: friends and relations; hospitals and health centres; churches; women’s organisations; and radio and television. Fewer than half (46%) of the women participants were found to be accessing reproductive health information using their mobile phones. The author recommends enhanced rural development approaches that include: information provision through mobile communications; opening of rural libraries and information centres with Internet hubs; and sustainable adult literacy campaigns focused on reproductive health information.

Cultivation of Oyster Mushroom: A Sustainable Approach of Rural Development in Nepal

This study attempts to investigate the easily acceptable and low cost technology of Oyster mushroom cultivation. Locally and easily available substrates such as corn cob, vegetable residue and waste paper were examined with the supplementation of rice bran and chicken manure separately. During the study mycelial growth, spawn run, pin head formation, yield and biological efficiency were observed. Best mycelial extension, early pin head formation and better yield were observed in corn cob substrate followed by paper waste and vegetable residue. Among the substrates used, corn cob showed the highest yield with range from 99.08 to 109.50 % biological efficiency, whereas 69.81 to 88.36 % and 52.26 to 65.22 % biological efficiency was observed in paper waste and vegetable residue respectively. Rice bran was the best supplement for the promotion of growth and development of Oyster mushroom. Journal of Institute of Science and TechnologyVol. 21, No. 1, 2016, page:56-60

Significance of Gandhian Contemplation about Self-sufficient Village Economy of India after Economic Reform

This paper is an attempt to characterize the rural development approach evolved in Gandhian Philosophy and explained its significance in this globalize era. The series of ideas stemming from Gandhi have provided the theoretical ground for hundreds of thousands of grass-root development activities all over the world. There is a lot of argument regarding the applicability of the Gandhian thought in village development across the world. The study concluded that the Gandhian model would be much reliable to reduce the gap between the well-offs and have-nots, instead of replicating the Western models of economic development, which lead to drastic inequalities and too much capital concentration in a few hands. Gandhiji's ideas are more relevant today than ever before, especially his philosophy of self-reliance and decentralization.

TRAINING NEEDS OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORKERS IN SENEGAL

Agricultural extension in Senegal is critical to increasing agricultural production among the nation's smallholder farmers who make up 60 percent of the country's 14 million population. The paper argues that whereas the Government has recognized the importance of an integrated rural development approach to holistic development and urges extension workers to become development facilitators it fails to recognize the importance of providing these agents with training in development and communication, otherwise known as “Communication for Development” (C4D). Therefore, the authors urge the government to introduce C4D training for extension workers as an innovative strategy for improving extension effectiveness in Senegal.

The Big Question

The Big Question

A vidék fogalma, lehatárolása és új tipológiai kísérlete

A vidék fogalmát és lehatárolását, a vidéki térségek újrastrukturálódását, valamint differenciálódását évtizedek óta tudományos diskurzusok övezik. Sokak szerint a vidéki terek jól definiálhatók és objektív mutatók segítségével egzakt módon körülírhatók, míg mások megkérdőjelezik a vidékfogalmak általános érvényét és időtállóságát. Az ezzel kapcsolatos eddigi eredményeket, különböző nézeteket és polémiákat áttekintve – más hazai műhelyekhez hasonlóan – mi is arra a végkövetkeztetésre jutottunk, hogy a „vidék” mint térkategória pontosan nem határozható meg. A szakmai viták azonban általában nem csupán elméleti és módszertani kérdéseket vetnek fel, hanem legtöbbször a területfejlesztéshez kötődő gyakorlatias szempontokat is; mint például az egyes európai uniós tagországok vidékfejlesztését szabályozó irányelvek kérdéskörét. A vidéki térségekről alkotott felfogás ugyanis nagyban meghatározza a nemzeti vidékpolitikák specifikus céljait, illetve predesztinálja a támogatási források elosztását, végső soron pedig a tájak, települések és az ott élő közösségek jövőjét is. Meglátásunk szerint hazánkban mind a témakör elvi kérdésfelvetései, mind a fejlesztésekhez kapcsolódó empíriák rendkívül időszerűek, hiszen a rurális értékek megőrzése és a vidéken élők helyzetének javítása az egyik legsürgetőbb társadalmi feladatunk. A vidék szerepének növekvő jelentőségét kiemelő komplex vidékkutatási program (2013) alkalmat teremtett a korábbi nemzetközi és hazai vidéktanulmányok áttekintésére, valamint a már ismert módszerek együttes alkalmazásával új szemléletű térkategória-rendszer kialakítására. Tanulmányunkban – a vidék fogalomkörével és területi lehatárolásával kapcsolatos eddigi megközelítések áttekintő összegzésén túl – a magyarországi vidéki térségek új szempontok szerinti tipológiai kísérletét is bemutatjuk. Kutatásunk során az újonnan kialakított közigazgatási egységeket, vagyis a járásokat vettük alapul, és vizsgálatainkat, majd az ezt követő tipizálásokat az általunk vidékinek „besorolt” járások körében végeztük el. Reményeink szerint munkánk támpontokat nyújt a 2014–2020-as költségvetési időszak vidékfejlesztési politikája számára, amely lehetővé teszi a téregységenként differenciált fejlesztési irányok és intézkedések alkalmazását.

Addressing poverty and inequality in the rural economy from a global perspective

Recent decades have seen the rural areas of developing and emerging countries undergo significant structural changes. They are the source of several pertinent international concerns, including extreme poverty and hunger, and rising spatial and interpersonal disparities, challenges that national governments and the international community have made limited headway in alleviating to date. By analysing the range of rural development approaches implemented in recent decades, we develop a picture in which territorial approaches have become more mainstream. Since the turn of the century in particular they have gradually supplanted more traditional place-neutral approaches, which, we argue, have served to increase rural-urban disparities and exasperate the incidence of poverty in rural areas. Rural territorial development approaches, where able to mobilise sufficient participation and coordination between local stakeholders, civil society, and various multi-level actors, offer the most favourable means of gaining a better understanding of the many social, economic, institutional assets within a region. They can be harnessed to drive brands of regional development that are not only sustainable, but also more equitable and inclusive across different segments of the population and territories.

Periurban agriculture in Lombardy between urban sprawl, multifunctionality and new lifestyles: towards a territorial approach for rural development

The European approach to rural development policies is gradually shifting to spatial differentiation, blending the territorial dimension. A differentiation of the rural character based on specific attributes of the territory is required, including lifestyles, supply of services and amenities and competition in soil use. We present a classification of the municipalities in Lombardy (Italy) aimed at providing recommendations for the development of regional policies. Grounding on four different and independently developed thematic classification relating to the heterogeneity in urban-rural linkages, the social morphology, the economic geography and the geographical morphology we construct a unified classification of municipalities that considers the multidimensionality of the rural attribute.

Meta-analysis on Rural Tourism Studies in Iran: A Q-Methodology Research

Purpose: This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding about strategies and guidelines of rural tourism planning and management in Iran, then with the help of experts and their participation identify and classify the different perspectives in Iran rural tourism to finally putting forward a step beyond the current impressions and perceptions. Methodology: In the past few decades, rural tourism has been developed as one of the most prominent industries for diversification and reconstructing rural economy and hence stimulated the attention of scholars and rural development planners. In Iran, from the early years of the twenty-first century rural tourism phenomenon has been entered in scientific/academic literature, especially in Geographical studies. However, until now it has not been considered as a strategy for rural economic development at administrative and executive levels of rural development. This research was conducted on the development of Q-methodology. First, based on the previous research findings on rural tourism in Iran and the analysis of the available discursive atmosphere, it provides a comprehensive understanding about strategies and guidelines of rural tourism planning and management, and then, drawing on the contribution of experts, different perspectives were identified and classified. Finding: Research findings, based on Q factor analysis represent three perspectives in planning and managing of rural tourism development in Iran.The first viewpoint is Institutionalism, holistic, integrated approach, participation-oriented, and community – based, and has a high emphasis on planning of rural tourism development. The second viewpoint is environmentalist-conservationist and integrated-approach, and greater emphasis on the management of various aspects of rural tourism. The third viewpoint is participation-oriented, Supportive- facilitative, conservationist, also places emphasis on the land use planning, and managing rural tourism with respect to rural land conservation against inappropriate changes. Research limitation: Attracting the actual participation of Iranian specialists to participate in Q- methodology is time consuming and difficult. Original/value: After, more than a decade of experience of rural tourism studies in Iranian academic literature, the present research helps to explore thinking patterns in the field of rural tourism planning and management in Iran. Accordingly, we can provide a framework to support an integrated approach of rural tourism development.

Integrating tourism to rural development and planning in the developing world

In the past few decades, rural areas have experienced major socioeconomic changes. Due to modernisation and deepening globalisation, the economic and employment potential of many traditional livelihoods has decreased. Currently tourism is increasingly seen as a relevant tool for addressing rural problems in developing countries and tourism is actively used for economic diversification and opening up new ways to generate income and employment. However, many development models, such as integrated rural tourism (IRT) with emphasis on co-planning, learning and participation, originate from the Global North. This calls for careful considerations when such models are applied to the Global South's rural contexts. This research note discusses some of the key challenges of rural tourism development, especially related to the integration of the tourism industry and rural communities in developing countries, and overviews the applicability and conditions of the IRT framework as a potential approach for rural tourism development in the developing world.

Community Expectations from Rural Tourism Development at Lekhubu Island, Botswana

This article uses the community-based tourism (CBT) and the rural development approach to analyze community expectations from a CBT project at Lekhubu Island by the Mmatshumu Village, Botswana. This is a qualitative study that utilizes secondary data sources, focus group discussions, in-depth and key informant interviews, and informal interviews as well as observations. Results suggest a considerable degree of positivity among members of the community in terms of deriving economic benefits such as employment and infrastructural development. While this is desirable and expected for a CBT project, there is need to inform the communities about trade-offs that they may have to contend with when the project and related tourist activities evolve and expand.

Fixing rural development cooperation? Not in situations involving blurring and fluidity

Rural development cooperation often took the form of a fix: external actors fixed a problem by introducing a fixed solution. Since the late 1980s the increased recognition of diversity, embeddedness and complexity, resulted in a shift from a ‘best fix’ approach to a ‘best fit’ approach. Context specificity replaced one-size-fits-all models. Yet in the specific case of forestry cooperation with the Yuracaré in Bolivia, it is argued no fit-in-context was found because of blurred phenomena and a confusing development situation. Moreover, the Yuracaré together with a Bolivian NGO blurred boundaries, reworked categorical divisions, and intermingled knowledge. This case sensitizes policy and rural development actors more generally to a novel conceptual and ontological perspective on such unstable situations, which revolve around fluidity. Fluid situations call for a rural development approach labelled ‘go-with-the-flow’. Recognizing the heterogeneity of development situations implies that any singular approach to realise rural development is at best partial.

The Role of International Cooperation in Community-based Tourism

This paper investigates the role of tourism in rural development specifically with reference to community-based tourism (CBT) as a rural community development approach. A case study method is to unpack a CBT development project in which the influence of international actors is pronounced. Participant observation was used for data collection including reviewing of literature. This paper shows the trajectory of a CBT project being compromised by the influence of international capital within a neo-liberal framework. A major contribution of this paper is the proposition of a CBT model that articulates and delineates the role of external players and the ingredients of a potentially viable CBT project. These ingredients include: convenience to community, primacy of local culture, bottom-up structures, autonomy, self-governance, the promotion of community cohesion, respect for and preservation of the environment, enhancement of the health and educational well-being of communities. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n4p638

Critical reflections on the New Rurality and the rural territorial development approaches in Latin America

This paper presents a critical approach to the New Rurality and the Rural Territorial Development (RTD) perspectives, which nowadays are hegemonic for governmental organizations and Latin American academies. RTD's core requirements, which are functional for neoliberal policies resulting in the loss of food sovereignty, the globalization of agribusinesses, and migration as a consequence of peasant agricultural weakening, were critically reviewed on the basis of the principal challenges faced by Latin American rural areas. In light of the above consequences, it is thought that changes in such areas are based on neoliberal rurality rather than on the purported New Rurality. By stressing the need for a global historical view that reintroduces the Latin American critical thinking tradition, the urgency for public policies that stop neoliberal prescriptions and seek to strengthen peasant and indigenous agriculture in order to encourage rural development based on food sovereignty, democracy, equity and sustainability were established.