In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities . Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically described as rural, as well as other areas lacking substantial development. Different countries have varying definitions of rural for statistical and administrative purposes.
65-411: A summer house or summerhouse is a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed to provide cool shady places of relaxation or retreat from the summer heat. It can also refer to a second residence, usually located in the country , that provides
130-640: A cool and relaxing home to live in during the summer, such as a vacation property . Especially in the Nordic countries , sommerhus ( Danish ), sommarstuga ( Swedish ), hytte ( Norwegian ), sumarbústaður or sumarhús ( Icelandic ) or kesämökki ( Finnish ) is a summer residence (as a second home ). It can be a larger dwelling like a cottage rather than a simple shelter. Sommarhus (in Swedish : sommarstuga or lantställe ), in Norwegian hytte ,
195-451: A critical 'organization gap' identified during the late 1960s, reflecting on the disjunction between national organizations and rural communities led to a great focus on community participation in rural development agendas. Oftentimes this was achieved through political decentralization policies in developing countries , particularly popular among African countries, or policies that shift the power of socio-politico-economic decision-making and
260-558: A different interpretation and defines a Rural area as " ... a road or a geographical area that is not an urban traffic area, to which the rural speed limit generally applies. " Rural economics is the study of rural economies . Rural economies include both agricultural and non-agricultural industries, so rural economics has broader concerns than agricultural economics which focus more on food systems . Rural development and finance attempt to solve larger challenges within rural economics. These economic issues are often connected to
325-428: A famine or resource depletion. These are examples of push factors . The same phenomenon can also be brought about simply because of higher wages and educational access available in urban areas; examples of pull factors . Once rural populations fall below a critical mass , the population is too small to support certain businesses, which then also leave or close, in a vicious circle . Even in non-market sectors of
390-514: A fifth of them are employed in the primary production. Since there is a policy of equal living conditions, people see rural areas as equivalent as urban areas. Village renewal is an approach to develop countryside and supports the challenges faced in the process of it. In Britain, there are various definitions of a rural area. "Rural" is defined by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), using population data from
455-452: A harder time accessing land, education and other support systems that help with economic development. Several policies have been tested in both developing and developed economies, including rural electrification and access to other technologies such as internet, gender parity , and improved access to credit and income. In academic studies, rural poverty is often discussed in conjunction with spatial inequality , which in this context refers to
520-589: A harder time accessing markets, which tend to be concentrated in population centers. Rural communities also face disadvantages in terms of legal and social protections, with women and marginalized communities frequently having a harder time accessing land, education and other support systems that help with economic development. Several policies have been tested in both developing and developed economies, including rural electrification and access to other technologies such as internet, gender parity , and improved access to credit and income. In academic studies, rural poverty
585-706: A house, making some traditional coastal villages very silent in winter. Rural Rural areas have unique economic and social dynamics due to their relationship with land-based industry such as agriculture , forestry , and resource extraction . Rural economics can be subject to boom and bust cycles and vulnerable to extreme weather or natural disasters, such as droughts . These dynamics alongside larger economic forces encouraging urbanization have led to significant demographic declines, called rural flight , where economic incentives encourage younger populations to go to cities for education and access to jobs, leaving older, less educated and less wealthy populations in
650-521: A large variety of rural development approaches used globally. Rural poverty refers to situations where people living in non-urban regions are in a state or condition of lacking the financial resources and essentials for living. It takes account of factors of rural society , rural economy , and political systems that give rise to the marginalization and economic disadvantage found there. Rural areas, because of their small, spread-out populations, typically have less well maintained infrastructure and
715-596: A municipality, and in municipal matters, the Federal District is treated and governs as a single municipality, city-state -like (Brasília, DF). 15% of the French population lives in rural areas, spread over 90% of the country. The government under President Emmanuel Macron launched an action plan in 2019 amid the yellow vests movement in favor of rural areas named the "Agenda Rural". Among many initiatives recommended to redynamize rural areas, energy transition
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#1732787288465780-651: A rural community. Predominantly urban regions have less than 15 percent of their population living in a rural community. Predominantly rural regions are classified as rural metro-adjacent, rural non-metro-adjacent and rural northern, following Philip Ehrensaft and Jennifer Beeman (1992). Rural metro-adjacent regions are predominantly rural census divisions which are adjacent to metropolitan centres while rural non-metro-adjacent regions are those predominantly rural census divisions which are not adjacent to metropolitan centres. Rural northern regions are predominantly rural census divisions that are found either entirely or mostly above
845-463: A scholar at Makerere University in Uganda, notes of CSOs: The CSOs’ inability to effectively mobilize for and represent the local community’s interests is linked to the disabling regulatory environment with cumbersome and elaborate procedures for registration and restrictions on what constitutes allowable advocacy activities; their desire to complement the work of government rather than questioning it;
910-514: A sharp drop in responsiveness to citizen's needs between 1966 and 1986. As a result of these administrations, several constraints were placed on local governments that prevented effective development initiatives: every single employee in local governments had to be appointed by the president, all local budgets and bylaws had to be approved by the Minister of Local Government, and this Minister could dissolve any local government council. Because of
975-488: A strict measure used by the National Sample Survey in its 63rd round, called monthly per capita expenditure, rural expenditure accounts for 55% of total national monthly expenditure. The rural population currently accounts for one-third of the total Indian FMCG sales. In Japan, rural areas are referred to as "Inaka" which translates literally to "the countryside" or "one's native village". According to
1040-473: A wider perspective has created more focus on a broad range of development goals rather than merely creating incentive for agricultural or resource-based businesses. Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural communities are suffering from colossal market failures as the national grids fall short of their demand for electricity. As of 2019, 770 million people live without access to electricity – 10.2% of
1105-558: A wider perspective has created more focus on a broad range of development goals rather than merely creating incentive for agricultural or resource-based businesses. Education, entrepreneurship , physical infrastructure, and social infrastructure all play an important role in developing rural regions. Rural development is also characterized by its emphasis on locally produced economic development strategies. In contrast to urban regions, which have many similarities, rural areas are highly distinctive from one another. For this reason there are
1170-472: Is a continuing difficulty for the international community, as it invests in rural development. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development , 70 percent of the people in extreme poverty are in rural areas, most of whom are smallholders or agricultural workers whose livelihoods are heavily dependent on agriculture. These food systems are vulnerable to extreme weather, which
1235-468: Is a field of sociology traditionally associated with the study of social structure and conflict in rural areas. It is an active academic field in much of the world, originating in the United States in the 1910s with close ties to the national Department of Agriculture and land-grant university colleges of agriculture. Rural development Rural development is the process of improving
1300-494: Is a popular holiday home or summer cottage, often near the sea or in an attractive area of the countryside. Most are timber constructions, often suitable for year-round use. Increasingly they have additions such as saunas , heating ovens , fireplaces , or attractive gardens. Increasingly, English speakers call them summerhouses. A Swedish sommarstuga is traditionally painted with a special red colour called falu rödfärg and has white trimmed corners, windows, and doors. Many of
1365-524: Is divided into 402 administrative districts, 295 rural districts and 107 urban districts. As one of the largest agricultural producers in the European Union , more than half of Germany's territory which is almost 19 million hectares, is used for farming, and located in the rural areas. Almost 10% of people in Germany have jobs related to the agricultural, forest and fisheries sectors; approximately
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#17327872884651430-435: Is expected to affect agricultural systems the world over more as climate change increases . Rural development actions are intended to further the social and economic development of rural communities. Rural development programs were historically top-down approaches from local or regional authorities, regional development agencies , NGOs , national governments or international development organizations. However,
1495-401: Is forbidden to live permanently. This is because there are quality requirements for permanent homes that do not apply to cottages. Sweden has no ban against using summer houses all year or against using a normal house in summer only. This has made Swedish summer houses popular for Danes, Norwegians, and Germans. But in some desirable coastal areas, prices are so high that residents cannot afford
1560-470: Is often based upon the ownership of agricultural land , which also may provide social prestige in village cultures. The majority of rural Pakistani inhabitants livelihoods is based upon the rearing of livestock, which also comprises a significant part of Pakistan's gross domestic product. Some livestock raised by rural Pakistanis include cattle and goats. In New Zealand census areas are classified based on their degree of rurality. However, traffic law has
1625-407: Is often discussed in conjunction with spatial inequality , which in this context refers to the inequality between urban and rural areas. Both rural poverty and spatial inequality are global phenomena, but like poverty in general, there are higher rates of rural poverty in developing countries than in developed countries . Eradicating rural poverty through effective policies and economic growth
1690-402: Is one of them. Research is being carried out to assess the impact of new projects in rural areas. In 2018, the government had launched the "Action Cœur de Ville" program to revitalize town centers across the country. 222 towns were selected as part of the five-year program. One of the program's aims is to make the towns attractive so the areas nearby can also benefit from investments. Germany
1755-499: Is the population outside settlements with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants and a population density below 400 people per square kilometre. Rural areas in the United States , often referred to as rural America, consists of approximately 97% of the United States ' land area. An estimated 60 million people, or one in five residents (17.9% of the total U.S. population ), live in rural America. Definitions vary from different parts of
1820-507: Is the study of rural economies . Rural economies include both agricultural and non-agricultural industries, so rural economics has broader concerns than agricultural economics which focus more on food systems . Rural development and finance attempt to solve larger challenges within rural economics. These economic issues are often connected to the migration from rural areas due to lack of economic activities and rural poverty . Some interventions have been very successful in some parts of
1885-562: The 2017 census about 64% of Pakistanis live in rural areas. Most rural areas in Pakistan tend to be near cities and are peri-urban areas. This is due to the definition of a rural area in Pakistan being an area that does not come within an urban boundary. Rural areas in Pakistan that are near cities are considered as suburban areas or suburbs . The remote rural villagers of Pakistan commonly live in houses made of bricks, clay or mud. Socioeconomic status among rural Pakistani villagers
1950-547: The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development defines a "predominantly rural region" as having more than 50% of the population living in rural communities where a " rural community " has a population density less than 150 people per square kilometre. In Canada, the census division has been used to represent "regions" and census consolidated sub-divisions have been used to represent "communities". Intermediate regions have 15 to 49 percent of their population living in
2015-425: The exploitation of land-intensive natural resources such as agriculture and forestry . However, changes in global production networks and increased urbanization have changed the character of rural areas. Increasingly rural tourism , niche manufacturers, and recreation have replaced resource extraction and agriculture as dominant economic drivers. The need for rural communities to approach development from
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2080-425: The exploitation of land-intensive natural resources such as agriculture and forestry . However, changes in global production networks and increased urbanization have changed the character of rural areas. Increasingly rural tourism , niche manufacturers, and recreation have replaced resource extraction and agriculture as dominant economic drivers. The need for rural communities to approach development from
2145-476: The panchayat makes all the decisions. There are five people in the panchayat . The National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) defines 'rural' as follows: RBI defines rural areas as those areas with a population of less than 49,000 (tier -3 to tier-6 cities). It is generally said that the rural areas house up to 70% of India's population. Rural India contributes a large chunk to India's GDP by way of agriculture, self-employment, services, construction etc. As per
2210-413: The quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas , often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Often, rural regions have experienced rural poverty , poverty greater than urban or suburban economic regions due to lack of access to economic activities, and lack of investments in key infrastructure such as education. Rural development has traditionally centered on
2275-561: The 'countryside' or a ' village ' in India. It has a very low population density. In rural areas, agriculture is the chief source of livelihood along with fishing , cottage industries , pottery etc. Almost every Indian economic agency today has its own definition of rural India, some of which follow: According to the Planning Commission, a town with a maximum population of 15,000 is considered rural in nature. In these areas
2340-466: The Danish resorts depend on the rental of summerhouses to accommodate national and foreign tourists who can rent them, usually on a weekly basis, at prices (for a family) well below those of hotels. But Scandinavians often spend a considerable amount of time in their summerhouses which are often the venue for family reunions or simply weekends away from the office. In recent years, the popularity and, thus,
2405-568: The United States government as to what constitutes those areas. In Brazil, there are different notions of "rural area" and "countryside". Rural areas are any place outside a municipality's urban development (buildings, streets) and it is carried by informal usage. Otherwise, countryside ( interior in Portuguese ) are officially defined as all municipalities outside the state/territory capital's metropolitan region. Some states as Mato Grosso do Sul do not have any metropolitan regions, thus all of
2470-401: The concept ( urban hierarchy ) can be applied more generally to many services and is explained by central place theory . Rural poverty refers to situations where people living in non-urban regions are in a state or condition of lacking the financial resources and essentials for living. It takes account of factors of rural society , rural economy , and political systems that give rise to
2535-548: The cost of summerhouses has increased appreciably, particularly in Denmark's coastal resorts. Under Danish law, owners are generally not permitted to use these houses as permanent homes; an exception is made for pensioners. In some attractive areas of Norway, there is "residence duty" (Norwegian: boplikt ), meaning that an owner of a house must use it as their primary home and spend most of their overnight stays there. Other areas of Norway are defined as "summer house areas", where it
2600-608: The decentralization structure, local governments receive a majority of their funds in block grants from the national government, mostly as conditional grants but with some unconditional and equalization grants administered as well. Furthermore, local governments were given the power to collect taxes from their constituents, however, this usually only accounts for less than 10 percent of the local government's budget. Some scholars express concern that decentralization efforts in Uganda may not actually be leading to an increase in participation and development. For example, despite increases over
2665-481: The difficulties in raising adequate resources from their membership; the inability to exercise internal democracy and accountability; the urban/elite orientation of most NGOs; and the donor funding that encourages a number of CSOs to emerge in order to clinch a share of the donor monies. Since independence, several rural development and extension education programs have been implemented in Nigeria . In many countries,
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2730-438: The economy, providing services to smaller and more dispersed populations becomes proportionately more expensive for governments, which can lead to closures of state-funded offices and services, which further harm the rural economy. Schools are the archetypal example because they influence the decisions of parents of young children: a village or region without a school will typically lose families to larger towns that have one. But
2795-427: The eighteenth century or East Asia in the twentieth century , it can occur following the industrialization of primary industries such as agriculture , mining , fishing , and forestry —when fewer people are needed to bring the same amount of output to market—and related secondary industries (refining and processing) are consolidated. Rural exodus can also follow an ecological or human-caused catastrophe such as
2860-419: The election of representatives and leadership from centralized governments to local governments. As a result, local populations can also bring about endogenous initiatives for development . The term rural development is not limited to issues of developing countries. In fact many developed countries have very active rural development programs. Rural development aims at finding ways to improve rural lives with
2925-470: The expense). If countries are able to overcome these obstacles and reach nationwide electrification, rural communities will be able to reap considerable amounts of economic and social development. Rural flight (also known as rural-to-urban migration, rural depopulation, or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of people from rural areas into urban areas . It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In industrializing economies like Britain in
2990-542: The following lines of latitude in each province: Newfoundland and Labrador , 50th; Manitoba , 53rd; Alberta , British Columbia , Ontario , Quebec , and Saskatchewan , 54th. As well, rural northern regions encompass all of the Yukon , Northwest Territories and Nunavut . Statistics Canada defines rural areas by their population counts. This has referred to the population living outside settlements of 1,000 or fewer inhabitants. The current definition states that census rural
3055-477: The global population. Electrification typically begins in cities and towns and gradually extends to rural areas, however, this process often runs into obstacles in developing nations. Expanding the national grid is expensive and countries consistently lack the capital to grow their current infrastructure. Additionally, amortizing capital costs to reduce the unit cost of each hook-up is harder to do in lightly populated areas (yielding higher per capita share of
3120-496: The inequality between urban and rural areas. Both rural poverty and spatial inequality are global phenomena, but like poverty in general, there are higher rates of rural poverty in developing countries than in developed countries . Eradicating rural poverty through effective policies and economic growth is a continuing difficulty for the international community, as it invests in rural development . According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development , 70 percent of
3185-584: The latest census , such as the United Kingdom Census 2001 . These definitions have various grades, but the upper point is any local government area with more than 26% of its population living in a rural settlement or market town ("market town" being defined as any settlement which has permission to hold a street market ). A number of measures are in place to protect the British countryside, including green belts . Rural areas are also known as
3250-406: The marginalization and economic disadvantage found there. Rural areas, because of their small, spread-out populations, typically have less well maintained infrastructure and a harder time accessing markets, which tend to be concentrated in population centers. Rural communities also face disadvantages in terms of legal and social protections, with women and marginalized communities frequently having
3315-801: The migration from rural areas due to lack of economic activities and rural poverty . Some interventions have been very successful in some parts of the world, with rural electrification and rural tourism providing anchors for transforming economies in some rural areas. These challenges often create rural-urban income disparities. Rural development is the process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Often, rural regions have experienced rural poverty , poverty greater than urban or suburban economic regions due to lack of access to economic activities, and lack of investments in key infrastructure such as education. Rural development has traditionally centered on
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#17327872884653380-490: The needs of local elites above the rest of the population. As a result of this critique, many NGOs have started to include strategies in their projects that promote community participation. Many scholars argue that NGOs are an insufficient solution to a lack of development leadership as a result of decentralization policies. Human rights expert Susan Dicklitch points to the historical context of colonialism, organization-specific limitations, and regime restraints as hindrances to
3445-404: The overall financial strength of local governments is considerably weaker than that of the national government, which adversely affects their responsiveness to the needs of their citizens and success in increasing participation in community development initiatives. Finally, civil society organizations are often ineffective in practice at mobilizing for the community's interests. Dr. Umar Kakumba ,
3510-909: The participation of rural people themselves, so as to meet the required needs of rural communities. The outsider may not understand the setting, culture, language and other things prevalent in the local area. As such, rural people themselves have to participate in their sustainable rural development. In developing countries like Nepal , Pakistan , India , Bangladesh , integrated development approaches are being followed up. In this context, many approaches and ideas have been developed and implemented, for instance, bottom-up approaches, PRA- Participatory Rural Appraisal , RRA- Rapid Rural Appraisal , Working With People (WWP), etc. The New Rural Reconstruction Movement in China has been actively promoting rural development through their ecological farming projects. Because decentralization policies made development problems
3575-1225: The people in extreme poverty are in rural areas, most of whom are smallholders or agricultural workers whose livelihoods are heavily dependent on agriculture. These food systems are vulnerable to extreme weather, which is expected to affect agricultural systems the world over more as climate change increases . In medicine , rural health or rural medicine is the interdisciplinary study of health and health care delivery in rural environments. The concept of rural health incorporates many fields, including wilderness medicine , geography , midwifery , nursing , sociology , economics , and telehealth or telemedicine . Rural populations often experience health disparities and greater barriers in access to healthcare compared to urban populations. Globally, rural populations face increased burdens of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, contributing to worse health outcomes and higher mortality rates. Factors contributing to these health disparities include remote geography , increased rates of health risk behaviors, lower population density , decreased health insurance coverage among
3640-561: The population, lack of health infrastructure, and work force demographics. People living in rural areas also tend to have less education, lower socioeconomic status , and higher rates of alcohol and smoking when compared to their urban counterparts. Additionally, the rate of poverty is higher in rural populations globally, contributing to health disparities due to an inability to access healthy foods, healthcare, and housing. Because of their unique dynamics, different academic fields have developed to study rural communities. Rural economics
3705-430: The promises of NGOs. She notes that “NGOs are increasingly relegated to service provision and gap-filling activities as by the retreating state, but those supportive functions are not matched with increased political efficacy”. In Uganda specifically, several mid-century centrist administrations, particularly the regimes of Idi Amin (1971–1979) and Milton Obote (1981–1986), described as brutal and ineffective led to
3770-631: The provisioning of needs in developing countries and they play an increasingly large role in supporting rural development. These organizations are often criticized for taking over responsibilities that are traditionally carried out by the state, causing governments to become ineffective in handling these responsibilities over time. Within Africa, NGOs carry out the majority of sustainable building and construction through donor-funded, low-income housing projects. Furthermore, they are often faulted for being easily controlled by donor money and oriented to serve
3835-474: The responsibility of local governments, it also opened the door for non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ), nonprofits, and other foreign actors to become more involved in the approach to these issues. For example, the elimination of statist approaches to development caused an exponential increase in the number of NGOs active in Africa, and additionally caused them to take on increasingly important roles. Consequently, nonprofits and NGOs are also greatly involved in
3900-746: The rural areas. Slower economic development results in poorer services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. This cycle of poverty contributes to why three quarters of the global impoverished live in rural areas according to the Food and Agricultural Organization . Some communities have successfully encouraged economic development in rural areas , with policies such as increased access to electricity or internet . Historically, development policies have focused on larger extractive industries , such as mining and forestry. However, recent approaches more focused on sustainable development take into account economic diversification in these communities. In Canada,
3965-535: The several shortcomings of the dictatorial government in promoting the participation of citizens in local development efforts, a decentralization campaign was officially launched in Uganda in 1992, with its legislative culmination occurring in 1997 with the passing of the Local Governments Act. This act led to the transfer of power to local governments in an attempt to encourage citizen participation and further rural development. Regarding funding under
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#17327872884654030-639: The state, except its capital is officially countryside. Rio de Janeiro is singular in Brazil and it is de facto a metropolitan state, as circa 70% of its population are located in Greater Rio . In the Federal District it is not applicable and there is no countryside as all of it is treated as the federal capital. Brasília is nominally the capital, but the capitality is shared through all Federal District, because Brazil de facto defines its capital as
4095-486: The terms are used interchangeably. Specific interventions and solutions will depend entirely on the needs of each region in each country, but generally speaking, regional planning at the macro level will seek to: 1800s: Martineau · Tocqueville · Marx · Spencer · Le Bon · Ward · Pareto · Tönnies · Veblen · Simmel · Durkheim · Addams · Mead · Weber · Du Bois · Mannheim · Elias Rural sociology
4160-417: The world, with rural electrification and rural tourism providing anchors for transforming economies in some rural areas. These challenges often create rural-urban income disparities. Rural planning is an academic discipline that exists within or alongside the field of urban planning , regional planning or urbanism . The definition of these fields differs between languages and contexts. Sometimes
4225-446: The years in local councils and civil society organizations (CSOs) in rural Uganda, efforts are consistently undermined by a lacking socio-economic structure leading to high rates of illiteracy, poor agricultural techniques, market access, and transportation systems. These shortcomings are often a result of taxes and payments imposed by local authorities and administration agents that inhibit farmers' access to larger markets. Furthermore,
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