1. Module General introduction
Over the past decade, strong empirical evidence has shown that agricultural and rural development is not only an effective weapon against poverty, but also more successful in combating urban poverty than industrial growth. Researchers have started to assemble and study richer data than ever before on the distribution of rural and urban income. The urban and rural poor have benefited from the growth of the rural sector. In contrast, the adverse effects of urban growth on income distribution in cities have challenged these gains for the urban and rural poor. And urban growth has had no discernible effect on rural poverty. The proposed module of Rural Development Management comprises two components: (i) Diagnosis of Rural Areas and (ii) Rural Development Design and Management and pursues a triple objective:
2. Module Objectives
(i) To provide students with an operational method of analyzing a rural area based on a rural and agricultural development approach.
(ii) To make students capable of carrying out in complete autonomy, a diagnostic analysis of a rural area and identifying the assets and the constraints of development of the zone from the point of view of its social-economic operation, and consequently, to identify blocking factors to evolve and the resources to be developed.
(iii) After the diagnostic analysis, provide the students with methods of drawing up and managing rural development plans and strategies.
The module of Rural Development Management proposed here mainly concerns the Year Four students of Rural Development Option in the Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Economics, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences of University of Rwanda.
3. Modules Intended Learning outcomes
At the end of the module, the student will have acquired solid knowledge and skills in the diagnostic analysis of rural areas and the elaboration and management of rural development strategies and plans.
4. Key readings.
1. Katar Singh (2009). Rural Development: Principles, Policies and Management Edition:3, SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd
2. Jiménez et Y. Sawada, Do community-managed schools work? An evaluation of El Salvador's EDUCO program, The World Bank Economic Review, vol. 13, № 3, septembre 1999, pages 415–441.
3. Maria Aycrigg, Participation and the World Bank: Success, Constraints, and Responses, Social Development Paper № 29, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, Banque mondiale, Washington, D.C., novembre 1998, p. 11.
4. S. Tikare, D. Youssef, P. Donnelly-Roark et P. Shah, Organizing Participatory Processes in the PRSP, projet, Banque mondiale, Washington, D.C., avril 2001, p. 7.
5. Operations Evaluation Department, Participation Process Review, Executive Summary, Banque mondiale, Washington, D. C., 27 octobre 2000, p. 2.
6. Kathleen Selvaggio, From Debt to Poverty Eradication: What Role for Poverty Reduction Strategies? CIDSE et Caritas Internationalis, Bruxelles et Cité du Vatican, juin 2001, p. 24.
This module endeavors to teach students environmental laws and policy, environmental impact assessment. The module introduces students to procedures of conducting environmental impact assessment, a national and international legal instruments such as treaties countries rectify to commit themselves to comply with the requirements of the environmental conventions such as the IPCC.