INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2021
Rural Associations as a Vital Tool
in Community Development
PROF. DR. IKECHI K. AGBUGBA, PhD, Agribusiness
(KEYNOTE SPEAKER)
University Professor, University of the State of the African Diaspora, USOAD
University Professor, Cavalla International University, CIU
Senior Academic/Researcher, Dept of Agric.& Applied Econ, RSU
Faculty Member, Agribusiness Management, Rome Business School, RBSN
Formerly Postdoc Fellow, University of Fort Hare & ARC,
Advisory Board Member, ACCCI
Senior Advisor, AYDO
17TH NOVEMBER, 2021
The Census Bureau defines rural
as any population, housing, or
territory NOT in an urban area.
Important Rural Development Programmes
(IRDP) in Nigeria
• Some RDP were established by various agencies,
the programs for National Dev. Plan and are broadly
listed thus:
Rural Water Supply Schemes
River Basin Development Authorities.
Agricultural Development Programmes
Rural Banking Schemes.
Rural Electrification Scheme.
Adult Education Scheme.
My Experience in the Rural Space
• Hinterlands of Nsukka Town – Raised, Education,
• Village/Home Town – Visits during Festive periods, funerals, weddings
(traditional meetings)
• CRDC – Centre for Rural Development & Cooperatives (+Prof Martin Ohaeri Ijere (Director)
• NYSC – Gombe State (As the Leader of Corpers, I visited the 10 LGAs/Zones
of the State)
• Masters Degree Days - Rural Communities of Enugu State
• Melaka Area, Malaysia – In South East Asia (Malaysia precisely)
• Mumbai Area, Hyderabad Area, India – As I traveled by rail (about 20 hrs) from Mumbai to Andhra
Pradesh State (Southern India)
• Alice Area, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa - During my Postdoc
• Etc…..
Community Development and the Rural
• Communities that invest in themselves can better keep and attract the
people who energize communities and create new businesses.
• Throughout America, many rural communities are losing people, businesses,
jobs, and vibrancy. It's time for a rural recovery.
• Rural development is considered to be of noticeable importance in the country
today than in the olden days in the process of the evolution of the nation.
• It is a strategy that tries to obtain an improved and productivity, higher socio-
economic equality and ambition, and stability in social and economic
development.
How Community Development
Promote development
in rural areas?
• While these are crucial elements of rural
development, a more comprehensive
approach is needed
• Rural community vitality depends on communities maintaining adequate
infrastructure, having access to services, enhancing business and economic
opportunities and establishing policy settings to foster outcomes.
Issues with
Rural Development
in Nigeria
• Leadership challenges have
undermined its effective roles
in rural transformation
& developing communities in
Nigeria
• Community development practitioners work alongside people in communities to
help build relationships with key people and organizations and to identify common
How can we promote Rural Development?
Rural livelihoods are enhanced through Rural Development Strategies are:
effective participation of rural people &
• Education,
rural communities in the management of
• Employment opportunities,
their own social, economic &
• Agriculture & farming practices,
environmental objectives by
• Administration & management,
empowering people in rural areas,
• Infrastructure,
particularly women and youth, including
• Civic amenities,
through organizations such as local
• Health-care & Medical, and
cooperatives and by applying
• Environmental conditions
Objectives of Rural Development Programmes
The main aim of RDP revolves around:
• Alleviation of poverty and unemployment through creation of
basic social and economic infrastructure
• Provision of training to rural unemployed youth
• Providing employment to marginal Farmers/Labourers to
discourage seasonal and permanent migration to
Transforming A Rural Economy
• Rural Transformation is a process of
comprehensive societal change
whereby rural societies diversify
their economies and reduce their
reliance on agriculture; become
dependent on distant places to trade
and to acquire goods, services, &
ideas
Approaches to Rural Development in Nigeria
Various strategies have been adopted in Nigeria for bringing about rural development.
Some of the approaches include:
Agricultural development
Infrastructural development
Industrialization
Integrated rural development
Community development
Approaches to Rural Development in Nigeria Cont’d
Five Key Messages Underlining the Critical Role of Rural Transport to
Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
Problems of Rural Transformation in Nigeria
• Sentiments shared about rural areas are as follows:
i. abodes of diseases
ii. superstition
iii. poverty
iv. lethargy
v. low income
vi. low productivity.
Why Rural Development is
Important in Nigeria?
Nyagba (2009) noted that,
the most important sector of
the Nigerian population is the
rural areas.
This, according to Ugwuanyi & Emmanuel (2013) is because the rural
sector is the major source of capital formation for the country and a
principal market for domestic and raw materials for industrial processes.
Flow of Fund in Rural Development Projects
Rural Tourism: An Opportunity for Rural Development
Rural Development Paradigm
Indeed, RD can be conceptualised to be
multi-sectoral, multi-agent & multi-level.
It focuses on 8 components which includes:
• Governance
• Multiple sector
• Infrastructure
• Urban-rural linkages
• Inclusiveness
• Gender
• Demography
• Sustainability
Last Words
Rural development is considered to be of noticeable importance in the country
today than in the olden days in the process of the evolution of the nation.
It is a strategy that tries to obtain an improved and productivity, higher socio-
economic equality and ambition, and stability in social and economic
development.
But think future patterns of development rural areas also means paying
attention to adaptation and resilience processes, energy transition and climate
change issues, and new initiatives—often marked by technology and
collaborative dimensions—and of course that would bloom everywhere on the
planet.
Conclusion
Contact Details:
IKECHI KELECHI AGBUGBA, PhD
• iykeagbugba1@[Link]
• 08036483852
22
THANKS
FOR
PARTICIPATING
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