Tool For Rural Development Research Articles

The contribution of poultry to rural development

The paper presents a global overview of the development of the poultry sector and of the role of small-scale, family-based poultry production in developing countries. Major initiatives undertaken to develop poultry as a tool for rural development and their rationale are presented. The constraints facing the future of small-scale poultry production are discussed, with a particular focus on poultry disease given the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Asia. Geographical ‘hotspots’ are identified where interventions are urgently required and where small-scale poultry has the potential to make a substantial impact. Finally, the paper stresses the need for more long-term and wider perspectives in the policies and strategies guiding the development of the poultry sector.

Warana: The Case of an Indian Rural Community Adopting ICT

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can be used as an effective tool for rural development. An example of the adoption of ICT by a rural community is the Warana Wired Village project, in the state of Maharashtra, India. There, the local cooperative is using ICT to streamline the operations connected with sugar cane growing and harvesting. This is benefiting small farmers, both in terms of transparency and time saved on administrative transactions, as well as the cooperative, in terms of monetary gains. The Warana example also allows to draw four key lessons on the use of ICT for development in rural areas: first, before launching any ICT initiative, the information needs of a community should be thoroughly assessed; second, content and software applications should be developed with continuous involvement and feedback from the community; third, special emphasis should be placed on women and poor people's access; and fourth, operators from the grassroots are probably the best agents to bring ICT to rural communities.

Rural Community ICT Applications: The Kothmale Model

AbstractSpectacular growth in information and communication technologies (ICTs), and specifically the internet, has the potential to offer a new generation of tools for rural development. The internet, with its huge quantities and variety of content, is increasingly becoming an effective delivery and exchange system for information and knowledge, continuing education and learning. However, rural ICT requires special efforts to create appropriate models for those who can neither afford the Internet access nor have the language capacity to understand the content.[1]New information and communication technologies represent perhaps the greatest tool to date for self‐education and value‐addition to an individual or community's own efforts for development, yet poor rural communities do not have the necessary awareness, skills or facilities to contribute to their own development using ICTs. The majority and those with the least resources in South Asia are being left out of the benefits of these new technologies and more importantly, rural areas do even have a foothold in the revolution that ICTs are ushering in.Parallel to other increasing forms of inequity, there is an evident gap, widening at an exponential rate, between those with access to media and ICTs as productive tools and those without. Closing what has become known as ‘the digital divide’ is particularly important precisely because digital ICTs cut across and add value to all fields of development and offer applications to bridge the spectrum of inequities of which the ‘digital divide’ is only an extension or a symptom.The communication scenario along with the political context in the island nation of Sri Lanka is very much similar to most its South Asian neighbours. The metropolis and regional centres are witnessing rapid expansions in telecom and media sectors while telephones, electricity and clean drinking water are luxuries for many in the countryside.The absence of relevant experience is major barrier for rural ICT usage. One example that offers some useful insight and successful elements for a model is Kothmale Community Radio and Internet in central Sri Lanka.

The Community-Business Matching Project: New Tools for Rural Development

ABSTRACT Sound rural development strategies must consider the delicate tradeoffs necessary between economic, environmental, and social goals or run the risk of unintended long-term effects, such as sprawl at the expense of the environment. This paper introduces Community-Business Matching, a step toward the creation of a more holistic methodology for identifying appropriate economic development opportunities for rural communities and small towns. This paper presents the CBM framework and describes its application in a pilot case, where a small preservation land trust used CBM to identify development opportunities that would help them ensure the long-term preservation of three historic barns. The pilot study found, contrary to the land trust's expectations, that wood products would be more promising businesses for the site than traditional agricultural firms.

The Experience of the Sudanese Islamic Bank in Partnership (Musharakah) Financing as a Tool for Rural Development Among Small Farmers in Sudan

AbstractNo Abstract

THE CONCEPTUAL LINKS BETWEEN RECREATION SITE DEVELOPMENT AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS*

ABSTRACT. Assessing regional economic impacts of recreation trips is important to public agencies' decisions about using recreation as a rural development tool. Minimizing the total cost of recreation trip production implies that households will spatially distribute their purchases of inputs to trip production, including both trip‐specific inputs and durable recreation equipment. A recreation site contributes to a region's economic growth through household purchases of trip inputs. The site's cost effects, price information effects, and recreation and retail agglomeration effects cause changes in household recreation purchases and ultimately generate regional economic impacts.

Teleworking: An Information Technology Tool for Integrated Broadband Communication Development in Rural Areas of Europe

Information technology has an increasing impact in the development of rural areas but the development and implementation of telematic services in these areas present special problems such as the appropriate mix of communication technologies, the commercial prospects of recovering the cost of investment, the social problems etc., which currently limit their effective use. With the recent introduction of narrowband ISDN (Integrated Services Data Networks) in Europe it is now possible to offer various services on a single subscriber line. In addition, with the development of both high reliable fibre-optic transmission and very fast switching systems, the introduction of broadband ISDN can also be considered. Unfortunately, the less favoured regions of EC (European Community) lack infrastructure. The development in these areas will be a gradual process. Large investments will be required, and the systems installed will have a lifetime of some decades. Therefore the right decisions on the chosen technologies and on the appropriate system configurations have to be taken to ensure success. In this work, the teleworking prospects as an IT tool for rural development are studied in detail. The motivation, the technology and the prosperity of teleworking in the less favoured regions of the EC are analysed and discussed. The analysis considers the existing telecommunication infrastructure in each one of the six peripheral member states in relation with the development and implementation of some important telematic systems in these areas. The main features of the proposed technologies as well as the establishment of the possible cost effective strategies for IBC (Integrated Broadband Communication) implementation in rural areas is also provided. It appears that teleworking is a key element for rural development and can be implemented through the realization of the IBCNs (IBC Networks). By taking lessons from some of the most important experimental initiatives which have already been introduced in some countries, useful recommendations in the policy to be adopted by the EC are drawn and presented.

Teleworking: an information technology tool for integrated broadband communication development in rural areas of Europe

Information technology has an increasing impact in the development of rural areas but the development and implementation of telematic services in these areas present special problems such as the appropriate mix of communication technologies, the commercial prospects of recovering the cost of investment, the social problems etc., which currently limit their effective use. With the recent introduction of narrowband ISDN (Integrated Services Data Networks) in Europe it is now possible to offer various services on a single subscriber line. In addition, with the development of both high reliable fibre-optic transmission and very fast switching systems, the introduction of broadband ISDN can also be considered. Unfortunately, the less favoured regions of EC (European Community) lack infrastructure. The development in these areas will be a gradual process. Large investments will be required, and the systems installed will have a lifetime of some decades. Therefore the right decisions on the chosen technologies and on the appropriate system configurations have to be taken to ensure success. In this work, the tele-working prospects as an IT tool for rural development are studied in detail. The motivation, the technology and the prosperity of teleworking in the less favoured regions of the EC are analysed and discussed. The analysis considers the existing telecommunication infrastructure in each one of the six peripheral member states in relation with the development and implementation of some important telematic systems in these areas. The main features of the proposed technologies as well as the establishment of the possible cost effective strategies for IBC (Integrated Broadband Communication) implementation in rural areas is also provided. It appears that teleworking is a key element for rural development and can be implemented through the realization of the IBCNs (IBC Networks). By taking lessons from some of the most important experimental initiatives which have already been introduced in some countries, useful recommendations in the policy to be adopted by the EC are drawn and presented.

Theories of Smallholder Agribusiness Entrepreneurship in the African Context: A Critical Review

There have been changes in the political systems of several African countries which were under colonial rule. Consequently, more than 32 African countries launched “land to the tiller” reforms between 1990s and 2000s alone. Land reform programs gave rise to the new breed of farmers, the smallholder farmers. This new breed of farmers is faced with market challenges yet they are key to Africa’s development. This desk study reviews theories of entrepreneurship that could explain how smallholder farmers in Africa engage in markets. Classical theories, neoclassical theories, and neo Austrian theories, and the Schumpeterian approach to entrepreneurship are reviewed. The paper revealed the weaknesses of these theories and concluded that they do not sufficiently explain how smallholder farmers in Africa engage in markets. The theories’ limited insight to the African context gave rise to the concept of collective entrepreneurship which is centered on entrepreneurial behavior and skills of farmer organizations or farmer groups. The review has also found out that although collective entrepreneurship is considered as an appropriate tool for rural development, there are potential problems which can undermine its effectiveness. The paper recommended the concept of collective entrepreneurship to be developed into a theory using evidence from Africa.Key words: Collective Entrepreneurship, Smallholder farmers, Theories of Entrepreneurship