Problem and Prospect of Rural Development in Nigeria

Problem and Prospect of Rural Development in Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

NATURE OF   RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Rural development is viewed as that development that  is beneficial to the  rural populations, According to   Olayide et al. (1981),Rural development is the  process where determined efforts are made to enhance  significant increase in rural resources, productivity with the  aim of boosting income and creating employment opportunity to people in the rural communities. It consist of an  integrated approach to increase  food production, provision of physical, social and institutional infrastructures with the objective of  providing  good healthcare delivery system, affordable and quality education, improved and sustainable agriculture etc.

Rural development fosters the modernization of the rural society and integrates its traditional isolation  with the national economy. The concept of Rural Development  is used to indicate  a sustained improvement in the quality of life of the  people in the rural communities.

It applies a consistent   approach in which micro and macro economic, social, political, cultural and technological factors  are engineered, combined and implemented for the benefitand development  of  people in the rural areas. Rural development is used along side with with agricultural development. Because there exist a   strong interrelationship between agriculture and rural development.

Many rural people are predominantly engaged in  agriculture which one greatest channel to foster a rapid development in the rural communities .Therefore efforts at rural development impact considerably on farmers who constitute  the focus of agricultural development program.

It is on this premise  that the integrated rural development projects in Nigeria were implemented to ensure that agricultural and rural development projects became part of a package of services offered to farmers and the rural population.

It is essential so as to generate foreign exchange, and to attract revenue to finance public and private consumption and investment. Rural development may also be seen as an ideology and a practice. It may mean planned change by public agencies based outside the rural areas such as the National Government and International organizations. Rural Development typifies a sustained development in the quality of life of the rural people.

The ultimate aim  is poverty alleviation based on  increase in rural productivity and  income ,diversification of the  rural economy, adequate  supply of rural infrastructure consisting of physical, social and institutional infrastructure, provision  of social participation and total transformation and  improvement of the quality of life of the rural people.

Rural developement also considers – economic issues, social, political, legal, cultural and environmental issues. This enlarged rural development concept, is referred to as  sustained rural development, which takes a long – term view of   meeting  the needs of the people today  without compromising the needs of future generation.

Rural Development simply connotes a sustained improvement in the quality of life of the rural people. It implies consistency in approach in which micro and macro economic, social, political, cultural and technological variables are engineered, combined and implemented as an organic and dynamic whole for the benefit of the people. Rural development is used synonymously with agricultural development.

This is because of the strong interrelationship between agriculture and rural development. Agriculture is a predominantly rural activity and efforts at rural development impact considerably on farmers who are the focus of agricultural development efforts. It is on this account that the integrated rural development projects in Nigeria were designed to ensure that agricultural and rural development efforts became part of a package of services offered to farmers and the rural population

PROBLEM

In Africa the factors hampering rural development according to Muhammed (2007) include:

PROBLEM OF UNCLEAR OBJECTIVES .The objectives  of the state and traditional public in agriculture and rural development often are not properly defined. In many countries public institutions or parastatals that control and provides access to agricultural input and output markets, land markets, and finance, tends to be inefficient and unresponsive to changes in market conditions, and  also  favor a privileged  few.

PROBLEM OF LIMITED RESOURCES .limited resources has led to the concentration of Resources  in the hands of a few.  such as land, capital, and access to knowledge and technology, which has led to   high unemployment and low – productivity among rural inhabitants, combined with overcapitalization of agriculture and poor utilization of productive land.

PROBLEM OF DESIGNING INCENTIVE SYSTEM. The Designing of incentive systems to deal with common property resources is fundamentally difficult. Natural resources, such as water, pastures, forests, and fisheries, are not properly put to use in many countries, since they are viewed as  open access resources with limited restraints on who wants to use them. Therefore the Designing and implementing   effective community-based systems is difficult for managing these resources is difficult and only just commencing in some

PROBLEM OF inadequate levels of agriculture productivity particular in food crop;

PROBLEM OF high levels of absolute and rural poverty; This constitute a predominant factor for consideration to foster rural development in nigeria

PROBLEM OF poor level of infrastructure facilities. According to  (Shiru, 2008). One greatest problem facing rural development is the lack of modern machinery and tools for large scale agricultural development . As a result many communities are still in peasant farming and in abject poverty in Nigeria .The government and international agencies often do not consider  the interests of the local farmers  in the application of   technological change

PROSPECT

Currently the objective of the National Policy on Rural Development provides for  an ideal situation of an acceptable level of development in the rural area. Summary of this  objectives  include

1 The promotion of the social, cultural, educational and economic well being of the rural communities

2  The promotion of a sustained and orderly development of the huge resources  available in the rural areas for the benefit of the rural communities

3  The need to increase  and diversify  of job opportunities in the rural areas

4   The improvement of income earning capacity of the rural communities

5  The  mobilization of the rural population for self-help and self-sustaining  projects and programme for the  development of the rural commuinties.

6 The   development of the technological based industries in the rural area (Ogbazi, 1992).

7 The implementation  of several programs aimed at  rural development  such as  Agricultural Development Programme (1975), Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (1986), Better Life Programme (1981), Family Support Programme (1995), Family Economic Advancement Programme (1997), Abia State Agency for Community – Based Poverty Reduction Project (2000) and National Special Programme for Food Security (2001)etc.

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development July 2012, Vol. 1, PG52

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