Rural Community Development And Participation PDF

Rural COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATION NGEO73424 (Rural Geography) By: Thendo Mafame Intro  Rural Dilemma Rural Poverty, Disease and Low Productivity — Feminization of rural areas = Feminization of agriculture = Feminization of poverty and disease (Youth exodus to cities...

Rural COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATION NGEO73424 (Rural Geography) By: Thendo Mafame Intro  Rural Dilemma Rural Poverty, Disease and Low Productivity — Feminization of rural areas = Feminization of agriculture = Feminization of poverty and disease (Youth exodus to cities), — Social protection (absolute poverty strategies) vs productive and sustainable livelihoods — Comparative advantage that does not translate to competitiveness, — Ecosystem sustainability, — Spatial imbalances & Rural-urban disconnect — Overdependence on subsistence agriculture, — Food Insecurity, — Limited access to off-farm employment, — Unemployment with sluggish development in urban areas, — Skewed income distribution, — Poor transport, basic services and market infrastructure, — Low literacy rates — Legacy of colonialization and apartheid Comparative Advantage: Competitive Disadvantage Mining Agric/Forest Tourism Dualistic Economy Dependence on the export of primary products, absence of an industrial base, weak savings and investments, limited profit-earning capacity of capital, under-serviced basic and social needs (health, education, and social welfare)  Rural Development Definitions Chambers(1983) definition strategy to enable a specific group of people, poor rural women and men, to gain for themselves and their children more of what they want and need. It involves helping the poorest among those who seek livelihood in the rural areas to demand and control more of the benefits of development (1983:147).  What is rural development? Rural development (RD)- is the improvement of the spatial and socioeconomic environment of rural space, which leads to the enhancement of the individual’s ability to care for and sustain his/her well-being (Madu, 2003b). multidimensional and multifunctional in nature (SARDF, 1997; Knickel and Renting, 2000). constitute a broader subject than agricultural economics, with a spatial as opposed to a sectoral definition (de Janvry et al, 2002).  Rural Development Ideas Timeline Adapted from Ellis & Biggs (2001) 1960s 1970s 1950s 1980s 1990s 2000s Modernization Dual economy model ‘backward’ agriculture Structural adjustment Community Development Free markets Lazy peasants Getting prices right Micro credit Transformational approach Retreat of the state Participatory rural Technology transfer Rise of NGOs Redistribution with growth Rapid rural appraisal appraisal (PRA) Agricultural extension Actor-oriented RD Basic needs (RRA) Growth role of agric Integrated rural develpt Stakeholder analysis Farming Systems Green revolution (start) State agric policies Rural safety nets Research (FSR) Rational peasants State led credit Gender & Devlpt (GAD) Food security & famine Urban bias Environment and analysis Induced innovation sustainability Sustainable livelihoods RD as process and not Green revolution (cont) Poverty reduction Good governance product Rural growth linkages Women in Develpt Decentralization (WID) Critique of participation Poverty Alleviation Sector-wide approaches Social protection Poverty eradication  Influence by Ideological Paradigm shifts Neo-classical economics- well functioning markets versus market distortions and ‘imperfections’; New institutional economics- linking equity and productivity Livelihoods- a developmentalist version: development as a livelihood improvement and poverty reduction; Livelihoods- a welfarist version: poverty alleviation, and social protection; Radical political economy- development as agrarian transformation; Marxism- the agrarian question, focusing on the transition to capitalism in agriculture (Cousins and Scoones, 2010) Towards a Strategy for Rural Development Some Main Requirements Principal Sources of Agricultural and Rural Progress Technological Change and Innovation- no scope for improvement by moving into new land. Two major sources: 1. “Mechanized” agriculture to replace human labor but mechanized equipment may not be suited to land and it displaces workers creating unemployment 2. Inputs for Green Revolution: hybrid seeds, water control (irrigation), chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides) Principal Sources of Agricultural and Rural Progress Appropriate Institutional and Government Economic Policies Inputs are “scale neutral” useful at a variety of scales But too often large landowners have better access to these inputs and low interest government loans while smallholders turn to moneylenders Low prices for output provide no incentive for farmers to produce surplus Must create incentives for small farmers—this often means less government intervention Three Conditions for Rural Development 1. Land reform- farm structures and land tenure patterns need to be adapted to : increasing food production and promoting benefits of agrarian progress Highly unequal structure of land ownership probably single most important determinant in explaining inequitable distribution of income  Three Conditions for Rural Development 2. Supportive Policies- need government policies that provide incentives and opportunities and access to needed inputs Must be corresponding changes in rural institutions that control production (banks, moneylenders) Must be corresponding changes in supporting government services (credit, education, rural transport and feeder roads)  Three Conditions for Rural Development 3. Integrated Development Objectives Simultaneous changes needed in income, employment, education, housing, health and nutrition Lessening of rural-urban imbalances in income opportunities Capacity of rural sector to sustain and accelerate these improvements over time Land Reform What is land reform? Reorganization of landholding and tenure structures Accomplished in two ways: o A. Expropriation-with or without compensation of privately owned estates to benefit small scale peasantry and landless o B. Consolidation of excessively small or fragmented holdings Agrarian reform- is closely related involving redistribution of land but also provision of roads, rural electricity, rural credit, extension services Experiments in Land Reform Zimbabwe- in 1980s state attempted to eliminate dualist structure where “white farmers” had major interests Resettlement aimed to provide landless families displaced by war with land on former European farms But by 1990s only 52 thousand families were moved; schemes fragmented Mugabe government has expropriated European farms and the ‘backlash’ has been for these farmers to move to Zambia  Experiments in Land Reform Indonesia- Transmigration Program Dutch initiated in early 1900s where families were recruited in Java, Bali and Lombok and resettled to the Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi Over 4 million people moved but results have been uneven: poor land, environmental damage, necessity to find off farm employment Program was terminated in 2001 Experiments in Land Reform Cuba At end of Cuban Revolution in 1959 sugar companies controlled 20 percent of farmland Staged expropriation of large farming units to state control Enlargement of small scale private sector gave land ownership to all tenants, sharecroppers and squatters Provided basis for socialist agricultural development and provision of health services and education But has this system succeeded in bringing better livelihoods to Cuban families??  Vietnam -Economic Reform or Renovation: Doi Moi Dismantling of economic communes or collectives Reallocation of land use for family farms Opening country to foreign direct investment- recognize value of market mechanism Reform of banking sector Establish real interest rates>>>Savings Direct subsidies to State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) ended REDISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE — The WCARRD (World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development) asserts that the transformation of rural life must be pursued by policies which allowed growth to be reached in an equitable way, through redistribution of the economic and political power and people’s participation; — Meeting constitutional commitment and moral obligation for redress & social cohesion (Deracialization of commercial farmland and advancement of women’s rights in communal, family & household land); — Walker (in Ntsebeza & Hall 2007:134) states that land reform can make a contribution to economic development at both household and societal level, but one cannot assume that it is a cure for deeply entrenched problems of poverty, inequality and social dislocation.  BACKGROUND – RSA RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES The first rural development policy initiatives came directly after the launch of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in 1995 by the Ministry in the Office of the President with the release of a discussion document entitled Rural Development Strategy of the Government of National Unity. Renewed efforts to design a rural strategy were launched under the auspices of the Rural Task Team of the RDP office. This process led to the publication of The Rural Development Framework by the Department of Land Affairs in May 1997. This framework focused on rural infrastructure, public administration, local government, and rural non-farm employment, but it was not confirmed as government strategy for rural development.  BACKGROUND – RSA RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES The Integrated Sustainable Rural-Development Strategy (ISRDS) Confirmed by cabinet as a government strategy following President Mbeki’s State of the Nation Address in 1999. The ISRDS mainly draws from the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (SRL) approach with strong emphasis on the “poverty agenda”. According to a 2001 IDT Report the ISRDS was designed to realise a vision that would “attain socially cohesive and stable rural communities with viable institutions, sustainable economies and universal access to social amenities, able to attract and retain skilled and knowledgeable people, who are equipped to contribute to growth and development”. The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP): Introduced in 2009 by President Zuma with the new Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The key thrust of the framework is an integrated programme of rural development, land reform and agrarian change. It is therefore fitting and appropriate, that the strategy of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform be 'Agrarian Transformation' - interpreted to denote 'a rapid and fundamental change in the relations (systems and patterns of ownership and control) of land, livestock, cropping and community.' The objective of the strategy is 'social cohesion and development.' Minister Nkwinti’s Budget Speech 24 March 2010  Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) Minister Nkwinti’s 2010 Budget Speech highlighted that The CRDP has set us on a new course for post colonial reconstruction and development. This shall be achieved through coordinated and broad based agrarian transformation which will focus on: Building communities through Social mobilization and institution building; Strategic investment in old and new social, economic, ICT infrastructure and public amenities and facilities coordinated through the Rural Infrastructure Programme; A new land reform programme implemented in the context of the reviewed Land Tenure System; Rendering of professional and technical services as well as effective and sustainable resource management through the component of Geo- spatial Services, Technology Development and Disaster Management. Effective provision of cadastral and deeds registry as well as Surveys and Mapping services The Department is committed to the achievement of outcome 7 of the 12 outcomes pursued by Government over the MTSF period and that is: 'vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities'. The success of this Department over the MTSF period will be measured through delivery on the following outputs: Sustainable land reform; Food security for all; Rural development and sustainable livelihoods; and, Job creation linked to skills training. (www.dla.gov.za)  BACKGROUND: RSA LAND REFORM — The South African White Paper on Land Reform The central thrust of land policy is the land reform programme. This has three aspects: redistribution; land restitution; and land tenure reform. — Redistribution refers to the transfer of land to recipients who were not necessarily original owners, but were nonetheless dispossessed of land under apartheid law. It also aims to provide the disadvantaged and the poor with access to land for residential and productive purposes. Its scope includes the urban and rural poor, labour tenants, farm workers and new entrants to agriculture. — Land restitution refers to the transfer of land back to original owners or their descendents. It covers cases of forced removals that took place after 1913. This is being dealt with by a Land Claims Court and Commission established under the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994. — Land tenure reform is led by a vision of flexible tenure regime that legally secures the rights of people occupying and using land, balancing these rights equitably against rights of owners. The intention is to improve tenure security of all South Africans and to accommodate diverse forms of land tenure, including types of communal tenure. According to Hall (2007) tenure reform policy was intended to address the chaotic state of land administration in the communal areas of former homelands & coloured reserves. — Target: transferring 30% of arable land from large white-owned farms to black small- holders (Extended to 2014). — Source; The South African White Paper on Land Reform, www.dla.gov.za, Ntsebeza & Hall (2007)  Tenure System Reform 1. State Land Ø Don’t sell – lease hold Quitrent: Roads, bridges, (Perpetual or limited time) energy, water services, sanitation, Social infrastructure Tenure system review 2. Private Land library, crèches, early ICT infrastructure Strategic land reform Ø Free hold with limited childhood centres, Amenities interventions extent Police stations, Facilities Restitution State the first right of clinics, houses, refusal when selling small rural towns revitalisation. 3.Foreign land ownership ‘A rapid and fundamental change in Ø Precarious tenure the relations (systems and patterns of ownership and control) of land, 4. Institution livestock, cropping and community.’ Land Management Commission Power to subpoena Power to inquire on own Economic infrastructure Economic infrastructure volition or at the instance inputs: inputs: of interested parties Food Security: Agri-parks, fencing, Abattoirs, animal handling Power to verify/validate Strategic Partnerships: seeds, fertilizer, facilities, feed-lots, title deeds Mentoring extension support , mechanising stock water Demand declaration of Co-management etc dams, dip tanks, Land holdings Share equity windmills, fencing, Grant amnesty or Ø Modalities being harvesters, etc prosecute worked out between the Dept and farmers; big and Phase III small Agro-village industries; Phase II credit facilities Enterprise Rural development Phase I development measurables Source: Rural Dev Dept (2010) Meeting Basic Human Needs 25  GAPS: Asset-based Empowerment — The World Development Report (WDR 2008) indicates that The asset endowments of rural households have been low for generations, and they continue to decline in places. Market and government failures affecting the returns on those assets are pervasive. Adverse shocks often deplete already limited assets, and the inability to cope with shocks induces households to adopt low risk, low-return activities (2008:72). Asset-based empowerment, the causal variables critical for self-reliance and sustainability (human capabilities, resource access and conditions of exchange): Human, social, natural, financial and physical capital;  External environment Impact on assets Situation of rural people Capital assets Natural Vulnerability context Social Human Institutions Changes in: Structures Physical Financial Resource stocks Levels of government Climate NGOs/CBOs Population density Private sector Conflict Traditional Political change Donors Technology Processes Markets Laws Disease incidence influence influence Policies Incentives Services Livelihood outcomes desired More income Impact on vulnerability Improved well-being Negotiation on agreed common Reduced vulnerability objectives, eg for projects or Improved food security services Livelihood strategies chosen Negotiation on appropriate Natural resource based processes and structures for (on-farm, off-farm) the strategies Non-NR based (eg rents) Deciding appropriate roles, Implementation degree of self-help Partnership arrangements Impact on livelihoods Impact on institutions  Measuring Human Development Towards a New Human Development Dashboard Empirical Measure Components of Human Development Health Education Material Goods Political Social Average Level Human Development Index Empowerment Indicators Deprivation Multidimensional Poverty Index Vulnerability Indicators of environmental sustainability, human security, well-being , decent work Inequality Inequality-adjusted HDI Gender Inequality Index Source: Pritchett (2010) in UN HDR (2010)  Value chain System Source: Roduner (2007)  System Failure: Interdependency of rural infrastructure Telecommunication, agro-industry, rural electrification, and other development initiatives for rural areas are often dependent upon each other. development of rural telecommunications programs is dependent upon electricity resources in one form or another; appropriate and adequate water pumping requires power for agricultural sector expansion and development; cottage and other rural industries and agro-processing under the form of small rural businesses can increase the productivity by using mechanized/ electrified technologies; and quality of education and healthcare delivery systems increase proportionally with improvements in RE and other infrastructure investment (CORE, 2003).  Factors Affecting Success (Leite & Avilla 2006) The presence of a strong governmental structure, accompanied by a political will and by legal security for the new landowners; A favourable macroeconomic policy (interest rates, exchange rates, agricultural policy); Technical assistance, support to the organization and financial assistance of the beneficiaries (in a non- centralized and non-bureaucratic form); Administrative experience of the beneficiaries and the requisite infrastructure around their farm holdings; Economic encouragements to the beneficiaries (being their own supervisors ) supporting productivity and the creation of non-agricultural enterprises; The creation of social capital with the involvement of the beneficiaries in the decisions concerning them; An effective agricultural policy (good land registration systems, land planning and taxation).  RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES — Review land reform and agriculture as a defining concept of Rural Development (delink) — Redefine the driving agenda and the interconnectedness of land reform, agricultural transformation and Rural Development — Recognise and clarify the spatial, policy, institutional and relational linkages (rural-urban linkages, household-community-municipal-provincial-national, rural development policy & macroeconomic framework) — Rural Demography & Livelihood Patterns: Addressing Poverty and Inequality. Poverty reduction as a means, not an end, a component of, but not a rural development strategy. Households as an entry point and unit of analysis for enhancing capabilities and sustainable development. — The value of the rural space & sustainable resources use: Leveraging potential to sustain livelihoods, nurture socio-cultural coexistence and enhance productive potential. — Diverse Sector Strategies (beyond farming): Critical – Sector strategy contributing to redress, as a growth-oriented and development mechanism (e.g. agriculture) rather than an overarching driving agenda. Agrarian transformation is thus viewed as a strategic transformative mechanism (means and method) and not an overall macro-framework for sustainable rural development (the end).