Mrs Jackline Case

Rural Development is a positive advancement of people in rural areas through improvement of rural institutions and systems, expansion of rural infrastructure, and growth in rural economic activities for better rural life (Dunham, 1970).

REASONS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

To reduce the burden of poverty on the government shoulders, South African government decided to come up with the idea of rural development which was aimed to create job opportunities in these almost neglected areas like Limpopo and the Western Cape and the development of the rural areas becomes of vital significance. Cleverdon (2002, p.15) elaborated on how rural development is a multi-dimensional and a much broader predicament than most crisis like poverty alleviation through social programmes.

Obstacles in Rural Development

According to Bjaras, Haglund, & Rifkin (1991) the rural people's poverty and their lack of self-sufficiency and self-reliance may make it difficult to involve them in development efforts. Some of the attitudinal obstacles are:

Illiteracy causes an inferiority complex. People are afraid to take part or to be fully involved, thinking that they cannot make worthwhile contributors.

Customs and Traditions People feel obliged to follow customs and traditions even if they work against development. The submissiveness to traditional leaders and the inferior position of women are examples of this.

Dependency People may have become so used to being dependent on the authorities and other agencies that receiving hand-outs becomes a norm

Apathy People may accommodate their poverty and misery by accepting it as a way of life.

They may be fearful of trying any innovation because it carries tremendous risks.

Rural development projects should recognise these obstacles, address them and to a certain extent accommodate them.

Advantages of rural development

The urban provinces such as Gauteng and the Western Cape also benefit from the rural development in that the numbers of people who tend to migrate to these provinces looking for jobs drastically reduce. This helps the municipalities of these provinces to be able to use their limited budgets to service the local rate-payers (Nel et al. 2009).

According to Cleverdon (2002, p.23) rural development is a vital component of fighting global poverty and eradicating human dependency on other countries, government and communities. It creates a new level of self-sufficiency and satisfaction for members of a society who may have never experienced such development.

Developing agriculture and infrastructure in rural areas ensures that small communities, potentially those excluded