2.a) Rural development is part of the overall socio-economic
development
Rural poverty is caused primarily by a limited access to
resources. This limitation may result from an imbalance between
population and available resources. We all know the difficulties
of improving the balance by applying a successful population
policy, and we know that a solution at long term will require
a gradual closing of the gap between economic and population
growth.
Besides the problem caused by population growth, access
to resources is quite often limited for the rural poor because
of the current socio-political situation. Here, the limited
access to resources is deliberate, and the result is, that
the available resources are underutilized because of obstacles
of a socio-cultural and political nature. There are numerous
examples of such a situation. Landless people cannot obtain
land for cultivation, while landlords use their land extensively
only; subsistence farmers have difficulties in obtaining credit;
scarce means of production are supplied to certain sectors
of the population only, etc.
If access to resources, i.e. to the factor responsible for
rural poverty, is determined by the general socio-political
situation, there cannot be a "rural" explanation
to the rural situation. The reason for the poverty of rural
areas is often to be sought outside these very areas. The
ultimate cause of rural poverty is the lack of integration
of rural areas into the overall socio-political and economic
system. This holds true, not only for the national, but for
the international system as well.
Poor rural areas and rural population find themselves in
a marginal situation; they-are not part of the overall system.
They do not participate in the development process, either
actively as producer, or passively as receiver of goods and
services. Likewise, they hardly participate in the decision-making
process. The result of this marginality is widespread apathy,
especially among the older generation of the rural poor, and
a dangerous gap between aspiration and reality- among the
youth.
The centre-periphery model of development theory offers
a certain insight into the-consequences. According to this
model, the interests between centre and periphery are-controversial,
and only a change in the relations makes the integration of
the periphery into the overall system possible. If this applied
to our problem of rural poverty, it means-that the situaton
of the rural poor can only be improved if these are integrated
into the overall system. This demands that society becomes
aware of the poverty problem and creates a suitable political
climate which could result in budget allocations in favour
of the poor areas. At the international level, it may require
a new international division-of labour.
Here, it becomes clear that development is more than economic
growth. The necessary political decisions will not come from
change in production methods and economic situation alone.
They also require a change in the social and political infrastructure,
inhuman relations and especially in the power structure.
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