Projects In Rural Communities Research Articles

Exploring the factors of enabling environments for business investment projects in rural communities: stakeholders’ perspectives

In recent years, the local economic development (LED) planning paradigm has gained widespread acceptance worldwide as a locality-based response to the challenges posed by globalization, devolution, and local-level opportunities and challenges. Noticeably, governments in the Global South are seen to be supporting linkage policies that directly couple profitable growth and investment with redistribution and community development in rural-based localities. To attract potential investors to circulate more resources within the local rural communities, local governments must ensure that the local investment climate (LIC) is functional for business investment. Unlike in urban areas, rural localities, by their nature of periphery location from economic development nodes, prospective business investment projects (BIPs) are often faced with delays and uncertainty. This is mainly because the factors underlying the enabling environments for business investment in rural localities are poorly understood and based on speculation. Against this backdrop, this study therefore set out to explore and unveil the key factors that are fundamental for ensuring a conducive and functional local investment climate (LIC) in rural communities. Through a qualitative case study approach with the application of a conventional content analysis method, performed with coding methods, the study unveiled five key factors presented in a thematic approach. Namely, market and customer needs; government and regulatory support; access to infrastructure and services; land availability and zoning; and participatory community engagement. Understanding these fundamental factors that underpin conducive and operational investment environments is important for viable business decision-making in the feasibility study of investment projects toward LED in rural communities.

Donor Funded Projects and Social Economic Welfare in Rural Communities in Hiiraan-Somalia

The study sought to establish the relationship between extent of Donor Funded Projects and social economic welfare in rural communities in Hiiraan, Somalia. The study was guided by three specific objectives, that include (i) determining the extent of donor funded projects;( ii) level of social economic welfare and (iii) the relationship between donor funded projects and social economic welfare in rural communities in hiiraan, Somalia, the study used a total population of 200 and a sample size of 133 respondents, and the questionnaire was used as the research instrument. Descriptive statistics used in this study included frequencies, means and PLCC on correlation of variables. The findings revealed the following: majority of respondents in this sample ranged between 31-40 years and these were male (68.4%) and had only attained diploma as their highest academic qualification (60.9%) and had an experience of 6-9 years (33.8%). Data analysis using means showed that extent of donor funded projects in rural communities in hiiraan, Somalia was found to be satisfactory (over all mean=2.88), and the level of social economic welfare was found to be high, and this was indicated by the overall mean (mean=2.74). The extents of donor funded projects and social economic welfare in rural communities in Hiiraan, Somalia are positive and significantly correlated.

Impacts of village fund on post disaster economic recovery in rural Aceh Indonesia

Up to the present time, the utilization of the Village Fund in Indonesia has mainly focused on infrastructure development. Meanwhile, the Village Fund is allowed to support post-disaster recovery projects in rural communities; among other strategies, agricultural economic empowerment is the most preferable. This study aims to analyze village dependence on the Village Funds after the Pidie Jaya earthquake in 2016 and determine the factors affecting post-disaster agricultural economic empowerment in Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh-Indonesia. A multi-stage interviews and field surveys were conducted by involving key persons related to the Village Fund implementation in Pidie Jaya Regency. The Village Budget annual data from 19 villages during 2015-2019 was analyzed and estimated using a panel data analysis. The results show that the villages' dependence level on the Village Fund is substantial, whereas the spending for agricultural economic empowerment projects was less significant. The Village Fund estimated variable has no significant impact on agricultural economic empowerment. This finding reveals a lack of priority for agricultural economic empowerment projects as one of the recovery strategies in the Pidie Jaya Regency after the earthquake in 2016.

Participatory Approaches in the Planning of Drinking Water Supply and Basic Sanitation Projects in the Rural Areas of Colombia

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the application of participatory approaches in the planning of drinking water supply (DWS) and basic sanitation (BS) projects in rural communities of Colombia. Information was collected through interviews with experts, official and scientific publications. The analysis utilized qualitative methodologies (coding, integration, and triangulation of information) and the Business Model Canvas (non-profits). The results show the adopted different participatory approaches in the planning of the same kind of projects. In addition, the results suggest that the use of these methodologies in the planning of the projects allows the selection of technologies that adapt to the cultural, social and economic conditions of the beneficiary communities; it also generates a sense of belonging, and systems ownership, which results in their sustainability. However, the results indicate that institutional, social, financial, technical and political aspects limit its application. The analysis showed for the effective incorporation of participatory approach (PA) in the planning of DWS and BS in Colombia is necessary to define guiding instruments for the planning and development of participatory processes, to strengthen capacities of the professionals in charge of project planning, local governments and communities; and allocation of the financial resources to carry out the processes.

Challenges and Prospects of Sustaining Donor-Funded Projects in Rural Cameroon

For more than five decades, developing countries (including Cameroon) have been primary beneficiaries of donor-funded projects targeting many sectors, including agriculture and rural development. Cameroon’s rural landscape witnessed a series of project interventions which emphasized sustainability. Although research efforts have been directed towards understanding the planning, implementation and impacts of donor-funded projects, not enough scientific information exists on the determinants, challenges and prospects of sustaining donor-funded projects in rural communities in Cameroon. For this study, the Investment Fund for Communal and Agricultural Micro-projects (FIMAC I) scheme, was used to diagnose the determinants, challenges and prospects for sustaining development projects in the North West Region (NWR) of Cameroon. A representative sample of 150 beneficiaries drawn from 20 farming groups in the NWR was conducted, to generate data which was complemented by interviews. The binary logistic regression results reveal the following: Although there is a significant change in the level of incomes for the FIMAC I project beneficiaries, its sustainability (mirrored through continuity) is dependent upon a myriad of socio-economic factors including family size, length of stay in the community, gender, education and the status of the beneficiary. Furthermore, the less transparent loan application process and the lack of collateral security were the main challenges faced by project beneficiaries. We argue that the introduction of soft loans with minimal demands for collateral security could increase beneficiary participation in projects, while beneficiary groups should further diversify their sources of capital and productive activities. The study does not only contribute to existing theoretical constructs on sustainable rural development, but also makes a succinct request for future studies to unbundle the conditions, under which donor-funded projects are rendered sustainable in rural contexts.

Using network analysis to analyse the complex interaction of factors causing the failure of small-scale water infrastructure (SWI) in the rural areas of South Africa

Some parts of the rural areas of South Africa are receiving water services below the legislative standards stipulated in the Water Services Act (1997) of South Africa. This is because small-scale water infrastructures (SWI), including standpipes, handpumps and windmills, are failing to supply adequate water in rural communities for various activities that enhance their livelihoods. This is due to technical, community, institutional, and environmental factors. Literature indicates that these factors are complex in nature. However, research on their complex interactions has been limited. Therefore, the complex interactions of the factors causing SWI failure were investigated and analysed in this study. A qualitative research approach was employed to investigate the factors that cause failure of SWI. The network approach combined with graph theory and the community structure method were used to generate a theme and domain network that allowed for a systematic analysis and interpretation of the causes of SWI failure in the study area. The major causes of failure identified include: (i) the use of a top-down approach to implement water projects in rural communities without consultation, (ii) sharing of SWI in high numbers due to the limited number of SWI available/functional, resulting in overloading and increased breakdowns, and (iii) drying up of water sources due to poor siting leading to vandalism of SWI. Overall, the causes of SWI failure are as a result of the complex interactions of different categories of factors. The theme and domain network is a powerful tool that can be used represent and analyse the complex interactions. It is therefore imperative for interventions aiming to improve rural water supply to analyse the complex interactions of the causes of SWI failure to understand the underlying problems at a level of a system, in order to propose suitable solutions.

Why do rural communities do what they do in the context of livelihood activities? Exploring the livelihood priority and viability nexus

This study seeks to empirically understand why rural households do what they do in the context of livelihood activities, even though most of the activities are not economically viable. Mixed methods, including interviews and questionnaire survey (n = 200), were used to collect primary data. Findings showed that livelihood priority is not the same as economic viability. We argued that most livelihood related projects in rural communities tend to be either nonstarter or counterproductive because of the failure of development agents to separate priority from viability. A gender perspective is applied to understand the differences in livelihood participation as well as preferences among households. While female-headed households tend to favor livelihood activities with stable income, their male counterparts prefer activities with higher income, suggesting that the former tend to be more risk averse. Results suggest that policy aimed at improving livelihood activities in rural communities should focus on viable projects.

Bee SAFE, a Skill-Building Intervention to Enhance CAM Health Literacy: Lessons Learned.

The purpose is to describe a feasibility study of a skill-building intervention to enhance health literacy about complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies among older rural adults and share lessons learned. A study was designed to examine the feasibility of an intervention to enhance CAM health literacy. The theme was "Bee SAFE" for Be a wise user of CAM, Safety, Amount, From where, and Effect. Modules were presented face to face and by webinar with older adults at a senior center in one small rural community. The team achieved its purpose of designing, implementing, and evaluating the intervention and assessing if it could be implemented in a rural community. The implementation challenges encountered and lessons learn are discussed. By improving CAM health literacy, older rural adults with chronic health conditions can make well-reasoned decisions about using CAM for health promotion and illness management. The goal is to implement the Bee SAFE intervention in other rural communities; thus team members were attentive to lessons to be learned before investing time, effort, and expense in the larger intervention. It is hoped that the lessons learned can be instructive to others planning projects in rural communities.

A Stakeholder Approach to Community Participation in a Rural Development Project

The present study investigates a rural community project (Nguni Cattle Project) that uses Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) as a tool for its operational focus. The main objective of the study is to identify how the stakeholders are reflecting the PRA goal of the project. The method used to categorize the stakeholders is reported. The participatory patterns of the stakeholders are then analyzed, with emphasis on the points of intersections where the stakeholders meet to make sure the beneficiaries are sufficiently informed about the project. The data used to discuss the stakeholder participatory method were collected through interviews, information gleaned from organizational documents, and observations of meetings. The analysis of the data revealed the promotion of mutual understanding through sustained collaborative relationships among the stakeholders. The study presents a perspective that is new to the literature and to rural development practice due to its focus on the type of stakeholder participation in rural development projects.

Analysis of factors influencing farmers' voluntary participation in reforestation programme in Ghana

Policy-makers consider participatory reforestation and forest resource management to be the key to reducing the problems of deforestation and forest degradation. In this regard, the government of Ghana introduced a modified taungya system as a mechanism to restore degraded forest reserves under the National Forest Plantation Development Programme to allow landless farmers access to land for temporary crop production and secured tree tenure rights. However, there is an information gap concerning the role of individual farmers residing in the off-reserve areas that are dominated by agricultural landscapes in this national reforestation drive. The objective of this paper is to determine the socioeconomic factors influencing farmers' decisions to participate in voluntary tree planting projects in rural communities in Ghana. Two hundred twenty farm households from four communities in Wenchi District, Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana were randomly selected and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Logistic regression modelling was employed to understand the socioeconomic factors influencing a farmer's decision to participate in voluntary tree planting. The results suggest that secured land tenure rights, large landholdings and on-farm conservation of remnant forest tree species by farmers and the dynamics of soil erosion are key variables that significantly and positively influence farmers' decision to engage in voluntary tree planting. However, large household size and increasing cultivated land area under crop production decrease the likelihood that a farmer will be involved in voluntary tree planting in the target communities. Thus, policy-makers, planners and project designers should incorporate these findings into participatory forest management strategies in Ghana.

Genetic variation and clines in growth and survival of Prosopis africana from Burkina Faso and Niger: comparing results and conclusions from a nursery test and a long-term field test in Niger

Rural communities in West Africa value Prosopis africana for its wood and other essential products and environmental services. The climate is becoming hotter and drier with more variable rainfall, so it is important to identify provenances that are better adapted to a hotter, drier climate. Some tree improvement research programs use nursery tests to identify better adapted provenances, but are conclusions comparable to those from field tests? We analyzed data (height, root dry weight, shoot dry weight, root/shoot ratio, survival) from a provenance/progeny nursery test of P. africana at 8 months, and compared the results with a field test at 11 and 13 years. The tests included 275 families from 28 provenances in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of Burkina Faso and Niger, and were established at one relatively dry site in Niger. The proportion of total variance due to provenances and families within provenances was greatest for root/shoot ratio, and root/shoot ratio had the highest heritability of growth variables in the nursery. Provenances with smaller seedlings and larger root/shoot ratios in the nursery had better growth and survival in the field, and were from drier locations. Mean annual rainfall of provenances was the best predictor of provenance growth and survival in the field, followed by provenance height and root/shoot ratio in the nursery. We recommend that tree improvement research programs in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of West Africa identify P. africana provenances that are from drier locations and have smaller seedlings and larger root/shoot ratios in the nursery for planting in agroforestry projects in rural communities.

Long-Term Economic Impacts of USDA Water and Sewer Infrastructure Investments in Oklahoma

One of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development's most popular programs is the funding for public water and sewer infrastructure projects in rural communities. This article reviews the water and sewer infrastructure projects funded in the state of Oklahoma between 1990 and 2000 and evaluates their impact on different measures of economic growth over both the short (one to 10 years) and long (10 to 20 years) term. Evaluation techniques include multivariate regression and average treatment effects. Results suggest that although most economic growth measures (population, income levels, and poverty levels) are not impacted by the program, housing values do show a statistically significant increase in communities receiving water or sewer infrastructure funding over the long term.

World Bank Assisted Community Development Programme: A Study of Rural Areas in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

This study x-rayed the World Bank intervention in rural water supply in Nigeria through Community and Social Development Agency of Ebonyi State. The objective of the study is to assess the impact of CSDP micro water projects on socio economic wellbeing of the rural settlers in Ebonyi State, identify the factors affecting the implementation of CSDP water projects in rural communities of Ebonyi State and to identify possible ways of sustaining CSDP water projects in Ebonyi State. Survey methods were adopted to elicit data for this study. The study revealed inter-alia that CSDP water infrastructure has not improved the socio-economic conditions of rural dwellers in Ebonyi state. The study recommends among other things that a pre-intervention survey be carried out with a view to determining the base line of infrastructures in the rural communities before actual programmes are implemented, community members should be involved in the execution and evaluation of quality and quantity of work done at all levels and periodic evaluation should not be left in the hands of community programme monitoring committee but should involve CSDP officials and community members in a community general meeting .Implication of this findings for both the rural dwellers and government officials is that it is only full implementation of World Bank intervention programmes that can bring about the attainment of all round development and consequently lead to socio-economic transformation of the rural populace.

Micro-Scale Wind Resource Assessment for Off-Grid Electrification Projects in Rural Communities. A Case Study in Peru

The proper identification of locally available renewable energy resources are key issues in the project design of off-grid rural electrification systems to improve effectiveness and long-term sustainability. In recent decades, a number of computer tools have been created to improve micro-scale wind resource assessment and their use is a de-facto standard, for instance, in wind farm design. However, these tools are not used in off-grid rural electrification projects in remote areas in developing countries because some characteristics of the projects are out of models' operational limits (limited and inaccurate information available and steep terrains) and their applicability and performance in those contexts has not been studied. The aim of this study is to evaluate and optimize the performance of a micro-scale model for its application for resource estimation in rural electrification projects, considering their specific characteristics. The analyses are based on data collected in two communities in the Andean mountains of Peru. Sensitivity analyses are carried out to evaluate the influence of the main input data on assessment accuracy. Although limitations and constraints of these projects, the results show that the model performance is good and the resulting resource map is accurate in the typical area of a community project. Thus, analyzed micro-scale model and procedure prove to be suitable for wind resource studies at the community scale; its use in the design of the electrification project of Alto Peru (Peru) is given as an example.

Voices of the Poor From the Margins of Bengal

In opposition to the traditional approaches to health communication that treat the subaltern sectors as passive recipients of messages of enlightenment configured in top-down interventions, the culture-centered approach foregrounds the importance of listening to subaltern communities at the margins through dialogue. We build on earlier culture-centered projects in rural communities of West Bengal, India, to develop participatory research strategies for understanding the local processes through which the structural marginalization of the poor plays out in rural Bengal. Study results point toward the marginalization of the poor both communicatively and economically, attending to the ways in which communicative marginalization lies at the heart of economic oppressions. Through locally articulated concepts of "health as shortage" and "communication as shortage," community members put forth alternative rationalities of health that highlight structural resources at the heart of health. These local articulations of shortage offer an alternative rationality for organizing health promotion efforts in the rural margins of Bengal through the foregrounding of discourses of shortage.

Towards a theoretical framework on ethical practice in ICT4D programmes

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are widely known as tools for poverty reduction. However, before ICTs can be utilized as tools for development, one needs to assess the various development challenges facing a country and then analyse where and how ICTs could positively impact development in a sustainable way. As technology influences the way people relate toward each other, it is important to view ICTs from an ethical perspective. This research theoretically explores the key aspects of ethics that should be applied to ICT projects in rural communities. Understanding the key aspects of ethics related to ICTs would foster the adoption of ICTs in rural communities and ensure that the integration of such ICTs is compatible with existing development strategies in developing countries. Four existing frameworks on ethical practice are explored which serve as a foundation for a theoretical framework of ethical practice in ICT4D. The proposed framework highlights four ethical themes that should be considered in rural ICT4D initiatives. These themes include: collaboration and participation, socio-economic context, cost and benefits and underlying stakeholder interests. It is suggested that further research and practical application can inform the framework.

Income-generating projects in rural communities: from theory to practice - a personal report

Hierdie artikel berig oor die derde fase van en studie vir die ontwikkeling van en strategie vir die fasilitering van projekte wat poog om inkomste te genereer deur hoofsaaklik handvervaardigde goedere te produseer. Die artikel word ook aangebied as en voorbeeld vir deelnemende ontwikkeling (participatory development). Die volgende doelstellings is vir hierdie fase van die studie gestel: . Om die aannames van die aktiwiteitsmodel (Trollip, 2001) te toets en te verfyn vir toepassing in opleidingsprogramme vir inkomstegenereringsprojekte . Om PLA-metodes (plan, leer en aksie-metodes) te toets om onafhanklikheid te bevorder en ontwikkeling te fasiliteer . Om die rolspelers bewus te maak van probleme rondom inkomste-genereringsprojekte en hulle by die ontwikkeling van en ondersteuningstruktuur vir hierdie tipe projekte te betrek. en Groep vroue in die omgewing van die Tswaing Krater-museum wat die behoefte uitgespreek het om inkomste te genereer deur kunshandwerkartikels te produseer, het aan die studie deelgeneem. Die omstandighede / konteks van die vroue was tipies van baie agtergeblewe vroue in die noorde van Suid-Afrika. Hulle woon in en gebied sonder water en elektrisiteit, vervoer is beskikbaar maar duur, die gemiddelde geletterdheidsvlak is laag, en veral die ouer en minder geletterde vroue handhaaf nog in en mate die gebruike van en eie kultuur. Tydens dialoog en waarnemeing is behoeftes bepaal. Met behulp van deelnemende waarnemingsmetodes soos dialoog, rolspel, selfleer in werklike situasies, nadoen en uittoets is die groep gefasiliteer om en inkomste-generingsprojek aan te pak. Die aannames en aktiwitieite wat in Trollip (2001) se aktiwiteitsmodel uiteengesit is, het die studie gerig. Hoewel die konteks van verskillende groepe of projekte waarskynlik sal verskil, blyk dit uit die sukses wat met hierdie projek behaal is dat die aktiwiteitsmodel toepassingsmoontlikhede het. Daar word beoog om die model in die volgende fase van die studie in en programraamwerk te formuleer. Die raamwerk kan dan aangewend word om soortgelyke studies te rig en as grondslag vir impakstudies te dien.

The development of a strategy for the facilitation of income-generating projects in rural communities: an insider account

Die grondslae en ontwikkeling van 'n strategie vir die fasilitering van inkomstegenererende kunshandwerkprojekte in landelike gemeenskappe word kortliks uiteengesit. Die uiteensetting berus op gegewens wat verkry is tydens twee opeenvolgende fases van 'n navorsingsprojek in die Noordelike Provinsie van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika. Drie projekte wat sonder, en drie wat onder die leiding van een of meer fasiliteerders gefunksioneer het, is in die eerste fase van die navorsing bestudeer. Faktore wat doeltreffende funksionering inhibeer is geïdentifiseer en die rol en funksie van projekfasiliteerders is ondersoek. 'n Aktiwiteitsmodel vir die fasilitering van inkomstegenererende projekte is op grond van die navorsingsresultate en aan die hand van die prestasiemodel van Blumberg en Pringle (1982; aangepas deur Robbins, 1993) ontwikkel. Gedurende die tweede fase van die navorsing is daar by die aktiwiteite van 'n inkomstegenererings - projek in die Winterveldt naby Pretoria ingeskakel. Die eerstehandse insig wat so verkry is, is gebruik om die voorgenoemde aktiwiteitsmodel te verfyn. Daar is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat 'n ontwikkelingstrategie voorsiening moet maak vir die ontwikkeling van menslike hulpbronne en dat die konteks waarbinne projekte funksioneer deurentyd in ag geneem moet word. Die doeltreffende funksionering van projekte word deur velerlei sosiokultu - rele en ander faktore geïnhibeer. Dit is ook noodsaaklik dat daar van owerheidsweë inligtings - en ander hulpstrukture geskep en in stand gehou moet word om mikro-ondernemings te ondersteun om winsgewend te funksioneer.

Psychological Implications of Participatory Community Development Projects and their Relevance for Poverty Alleviation in Rural Communities in Africa

This article addresses the psychological foundations of participatory and effective community development projects in rural communities in Africa aiming at poverty alleviation. Psychological implications of such projects include improved collective self-esteem of individuals and groups in those communities. Positive community projects also enhance agentic behaviour in communities which are enables in their capacity for action.

Water Purification in South Africa: Reflections on Curriculum Development Tools and Best Practices for Implementing Student-Led Sustainable Development Projects in Rural Communities

This paper presents a sustainable development project in which University of Virginia students collaborated with University of Venda faculty, Global Sustainability Club students, and local community members to address water problems in a village in the Venda region of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The cohort’s goal was to implement a sustainable and contextually appropriate water purification and distribution system. The authors present the design and constructed process for a slow sand filtration system intended to provide clean drinking water to most households in the community. They present and analyze the successes, failures, and ethical dilemmas encountered throughout project execution. Also, the authors assess the project based on three evaluation criteria for service learning projects and explore possibilities for follow-up through the collaboration between the University of Virginia and the University of Venda. The paper ends with a reflection examining aspects of engineering community engagement projects including site assessments prior to project implementation, project timeframes, and crosscultural institutional collaborations.