The limited effectiveness and fiscal unsustainability of professional-led public sector extension systems in developing countries have aroused considerable interest in Farmer-led Extension (FLE) approaches in the recent decades. A key challenge facing these initiatives is a lack of sustainability of the farmer groups developed through project or…

Purpose: Why do farmers not take better care of their soils? This article aims to give insight into how farmers look at soil quality management. Design/methodology/approach: It analyses diverse land management practices and visions on soils and soil quality of ten agroecological and 14 conventional smallholder farmers in Araponga, Minas Gerais,…

Purpose: New approaches to extension service delivery are needed that stimulate increased agricultural production, contribute to collective action and which also foster the emergence of agricultural innovation systems. Research in Peru and Mexico explores some of these new approaches. Design/methodology/approach: In both countries, a qualitative…

Although failures have been encountered in the West African cooperative movement, farm cooperatives are an indispensable tool for rural development. They can generate an investment budget at the village level and can provide a stimulating framework for education. The Senegalese farm cooperative movement has experienced a number of problems. Three…

Focuses on how India's economic planning and development efforts since 1950 have affected rural areas and small towns, which comprise nearly 80% of India's population. Presents several case studies of rural development and concludes that the major keys to the stability of India as a democracy are population control, a unifying language, and…

Examines case studies of special public works programs in five countries (Burkina Faso, Burundi, Rwanda, Nepal, and United Republic of Tanzania) that included afforestation projects, anti-erosion works, and the building of reservoirs. Discusses program design, implementation, and impact. (CH)

This publication describes the formation and evolution of rural agribusiness (RA) in the southern hemisphere as a precondition for improving the lives of families in rural communities, and focuses on RA endeavors created by development projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. After a short introduction, the first section of this study…

Alternative models of education which have succeeded in India are described. They are institutions of non-formal education and rural development with roots in the schooling process of ancient India. The author notes present factors which make India well suited for such systems to function better than the present British-imposed system. (JT)

This volume posits the existence of a gap between theory and practice in rural-development efforts involving communication media and provides suggestions for integrating the efforts of theoreticians and practitioners. Chapter one briefly reviews the development of theoretical concepts about the nature of communication and the use of communication…

Examines the programing and audiences of two small rural commercial radio stations in the Jordan and Punata provinces. Shows how these stations have interacted with the local culture and how they offer significant potential for development. (PD)

Case studies of two, successful, rural, self-development programs in India are presented in this document, which is designed to supplement the study of India in the social studies curriculum. After a brief introduction to India's village system, the two projects are discussed. The first case study presents a water collection system in Bagrunda…

The author encountered many obstacles to Papua New Guinea's transformation from a subsistence to a cash economy during two months' field work: the people's conservatism, lack of confidence, indifference to cash, and deep commitment to tradition. These, and "subsistence affluence," warn against hastily exposing the people to inflation's…

This report describes the state-of-the-art of audio cassette technology (ACT) and reports findings from field tests, case studies, and pilot projects in several countries which demonstrate the potential of audio cassettes as a medium for communicating with rural people. Specific guidance is also offered on how a project can use cassettes as a…

Six papers describe use of the radio for in-school and out-of-school formal education in this first volume of working papers on how radio can and is being used for education and development. Part one on in-school education contains: a Nicaraguan project to teach mathematics to first grade children (including curriculum, materials, teacher…

Designed to provide developing nations and government agencies with information on nonformal education, this study presents general guidelines on how to: (1) assess the needs within a given country for rural children and youth; (2) plan effective/economic programs to meet these needs; (3) develop means to evaluate and strengthen such programs; and…