Small Scale Industries - Concepts and Realizations: The Israeli Case Study - The Creation of Non-Agricultural Employment (NAE)

Publication Date: 2005
Published by: The International Institute-Histadrut
Document Type: Case Study (Microsoft Word)

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Development of agriculture in traditional rural areas

The paper discusses the issue of the development of agriculture in traditional rural areas. It suggests that only development of agriculture is a mistake, and is causing many problems and negative outcomes.

Most of the developing countries need :
Development of Non-Agricultural Employment (NAE) in the rural areas.

Many countries, in Africa and elsewhere, are characterized by high percentage of rural population. In most countries the rural population is 60-80% of the total population. Most of these countries do not need more farmers. On the contrary, in so many countries, there is a need to reduce the number of people who are engaged in agricultural. The trend of good development is that more a country is developed lower is the number of persons engaged in agriculture. The existing policies are proposing to modernize the agriculture. This policy means the reduction of number of farmers engaged in modern agriculture and the increase of the number of people who are unable to cope with the risk and obligations of modern agriculture.

This policy is creating more and more people in the rural areas who find themselves in the state of underemployment, and depend for their living on the Economy of Affection as described by Goran Hyden. Another disastrous outcome is the rural exodus, or the urban drift, with the devastated results to the urban centers of the country.

The solution, in my view, is the balanced policy of rural development. At the same time the policy should put stress on modernization of the agriculture, and put emphasize on the creation of the NAE in the rural areas.