Calinog, Kailah Christynah R.

AC17

Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development

The term development does not refer to one single phenomenon or activity
nor does it mean a general process of social change. All societies, rural and
urban, are changing all the time. This change affects, for example, the society's
norms and values, its institutions, its methods of production, the attitudes of its
people and the way in which it distributes its resources. A rural society's people,
customs and practices are never static but are continually evolving into new
and different forms.

Development is more closely associated with some form of action or

intervention to influence the entire process of social change. It is a dynamic
concept which suggests a change in, or a movement away from, a previous
situation. All societies are changing, and rural extension attempts to develop
certain aspects of society in order to influence the nature and speed of the
change. In the past few decades, different nations have been studied and their
level of development has been determined; this has given rise to the use of
terms such as developed as opposed to developing nations. In other words, it is
assumed that some nations have advanced or changed more than others, and
indeed these nations are often used as the model for other, developing, nations
to follow.

There are very strong reasons why resources should now be put into rural
development. More than half the people of the world and the vast majority of
the people in developing countries live in rural areas and gain part or all of their
livelihoods from some form of agriculture. Most of these people are also still very
poor and dependent on agricultural practices that have benefited little from
Calinog, Kailah Christynah R.
AC17
modern technology. They live in isolated and often inhospitable places, with
little access to the resources they need to improve their agriculture. Many lead
their lives barely at subsistence level. Solely in terms of numbers of people, there
is a very strong case for giving high priority to rural development. Reducing
poverty and producing more food that helps reduce the real cost of food are
half the battle in beating hunger and malnutrition.

I strongly believe that agriculture is a vital part of the economy of any

country and that its development is critical to the development of the country's
economy as a whole. Agriculture's important role is one of production, both of
food for the rural and the urban population and of cash crops for the export
market, to earn foreign currency. In this process demand is stimulated for other
products and services, and employment opportunities emerge to absorb the
society's work-force. As the cycle develops, the increasing agricultural
production causes an increasing demand for inputs, which ensure the resources
required to maintain the agricultural production. Land is a basic resource for
most countries and the exploitation of that resource in the interest of its citizens is
one of a country's main responsibilities.

Rural development is a process integrated with economic and social

objectives, which must seek to transform rural society and provide a better and
more secure livelihood for rural people. In thinking of rural development,
therefore, a whole range of problems which the farmer confronts daily must be
considered. Some of these problems will be physical or tangible, and relatively
easy to identify. They can quickly be spotted by observation or by means of a
survey and once the extent of the problem is understood a relevant course of
action can be proposed. For example, fertilizer can be recommended to
improve the production level of a certain crop.
Calinog, Kailah Christynah R.
AC17

However, not all of the problems that farmers face are physical nor can
they always easily be seen. Many of these problems derive from the farmer's
place in the social and political structure in the rural area. Farmers and their
families are involved in a complex web of relationships with other farmers in the
area and often these relationships bring about problems. Dependence upon a
money-lender, for example, is a problem facing many farmers in developing
countries. Farmers may also have little access to the resources necessary for
development, nor any way of getting such resources. Finally, they may have
had very little contact with rural development programmes or other
government services, and may not know how to take advantage of such
activities. It should be emphasized that the problems a farmer faces are
complex and not all of them are physical or tangible. With this in mind, the kinds
of strategies which rural development programmes can adopt can be
considered.