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Rural development, in terms of policy and practice, has been a matter
of increasing concern in the Third World. Governments, international
agencies and local organisations have attempted to raise the status of
rural people through improvement and transformation strategies
(Long, 1979). This concern arose because the development efforts
pursued over several decades were failing to eradicate rural poverty and
make meaningful improvements to the living conditions of the rural
poor (Haque et al., 1975; Griffin, 1979; Lea and Chaudhri, 1983;
Ferguson, 1990).
Today rural people have, more than ever before, access to education,
health facilities and occupational opportunities. But close examination
of their living conditions indicates that although the aggregate level of
production and consumption has increased, the distribution of benefits
continues to show persistent inequalities (Hayami and Ruttan, 1971;
Morrison et al., 1979). Malnutrition, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment remain common problems. Their persistence and the deterioration of the social conditions in rural communities are a major concern
for many developing countries (ILO, 1977; World Bank, 1991a). |
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