Issues In Rural Development And Management Theories – A Review

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue I, January 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Issues In Rural Development And Management Theories – A Review

Owigho Ogheneovo and Eromedoghene Ezekiel Ovoh
Delta State University Abraka, Nigeria

Abstract

The notion of people’s engagement in rural development is gaining attraction in Nigeria as a key tool for mobilizing resources and organizing the rural populace to have invested interests in their own well-being. Governments at all levels, including the federal, state, and local levels, have accepted that “traditional democratic philosophy,” which promotes rural people’s active engagement in decision-making and policies implementation that touch and shape their lives, has an intrinsic mandate. This article provides a survey that reveals specific strategies to modernize and correct the rural development model based on both local and international practice. Analyzing the theoretical and Management side of rural areas’ steady development, the association between a variety of rural economy structures and rural areas’ multifunction character is discovered, necessitating the diversification of rural economies through the stimulation of numerous organizations. It has been established that the rural economy is a complex socioeconomic system, with object-subject connectivity influencing its diversification. In general, the review concludes that, in addition to emphasizing the need to compliment the theory behind the new rural development theory with new interpretations that help us with better understanding about rural development. This study establishes a different rural development definition and recommended global best practice using smart growth development as a necessary step in rural people management.
Key words: Management, Nigeria, Rural development, Rural areas and Socioeconomic,

Introduction

Rural communities are very important component of every nation, Nigeria inclusive. This is because about 70 percent of food, raw materials and human beings reside there (Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) 2019; FAO, 2020). This formal, dichotomous way of dividing the country’s territory into urban and rural areas is highly imprecise and subject to change, as new rural settlements are being transformed into urban areas, thus reducing rural area size, and many suburban areas are urban-rural spaces difficult to delimit.
This imprecise definition of rural area borders poses difficulties both for theoretical and practical development management. Rural areas are highly diversified, as they include many varying forms of space use: agricultural, forest and transport areas, waters, areas unused for commercial purposes, ecologically valuable areas, rural settlements inhabited by farmers and residents unassociated with agriculture and, increasingly more often, buildings and facilities of public institutions and industrial activities and companies. These areas, at least in functional terms, often include small towns, especially those domiciled in urban-rural communes.
Rural areas with diverse regional systems are constantly being transformed, with changes to their nature and functions. However, no commonly agreed definition of rural areas and rural development exists at this time. In this context, the literature has long acknowledged that rural development is a contentious concept in reality, policy, and philosophy. However, there is no commonly agreed-upon definition of what constitutes “rural areas.” The definition of rural areas changes from one country to another and from time to time within same country. This is due to different countries employing different criteria to distinguish between rural and urban areas. De-agrarisation is occurring as the agricultural purpose deteriorates, and alternative non-agricultural production, service, and consumption functions are emerging.
Several decades ago, poverty reduction across the world has been achieved in most developing countries except in the Sub Sahara African countries in which Nigeria is inquisitive. However, it remained high in rural areas of most developing countries. The report by Global Food Policy Report (GFPR, 2019) postulated that majority of the world’s poor individuals live in rural areas: rural populations account for about 45.3% of the world’s total population, although 70% of the world’s populations are still extremely poor.
The global poverty rate in rural areas is currently 17%, more than double the urban poverty rate of 7% (GFPR) 2019; FAO, 2020). Generally, it is accepted that the conditions for them are worse than their urban counterparts when measured by almost any development indicator, from extreme poverty to child mortality and access to electricity and sanitation (Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations (FAO), 2020). According to Ekong (1988), rural community is an aggregation of families that lives within same geographical location, with similar cultural beliefs and influences each other socio-culturally.
Achieving these results and more, concerted efforts must be made towards developing the rural communities by all stakeholders. However, not everyone understands the dynamics of the rural society as most programmes postulated by governments have not achieved their desired objectives. This paper intends to look at rural development concept and policy theories in Nigeria and their management. However, the paper will observe the approaches or theories used by Nigerian governments to change and better the well-being of the rural dwellers.

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