Rural development the essence of economic activity [Archives:2004/702/Business & Economy]

Mahyoub Al-Kamaly
The gap is widening between the city and the countryside. Neither the available figures regarding the field of population growth are in harmony with requirements of local development nor are the finished projects capable of bridging the gap of requirements of countryside people whereas the migration of people and agriculture workers to the cities are in an increase.
Prior to elections of the local authorities in the governorates and the districts the justification was that the people there could not find those who support them for rural stability. Areas where job opportunities were restricted to migrants. Thus the capital and main cities attracted the countryside people and their desire to migrate got increased till the villages became empty.
Possibly some multi-circumstances have contributed to in instability and settlement of the people of rural areas and still chasing them even after the formation of local councils and their elections. Experts mention that there are some elements that are kicking out rural life and they need t be studied and treated accurately and also to be followed up.
It is noted that local communities in some villages have achieved living stability for the citizens. But development of elements of economic income in the sense of the existence of surplus with the people has not been realized for many multiple reasons that led to farmers internal and external migration and that has converted the fertile lands into barren ones.
Inmost of agricultural areas the role of families working in agriculture has diminished in the productive work due to absence of a national strategy in agriculture and what has doubled the imbalance in this area is the invasion of imported goods of the rural community markets and that has pushed the people there to kind of stagnation and led to migration of working and producing forces.
Goods invasion and the search for job opportunities led to occurrence of changes in the rural infrastructure that has been exposed to a being shaken. With the increase in education expansion the agricultural working groups got weakened and decreased the proportion of agricultural areas because of lands inheritance and their production decreased. This situation has its negative outcomes in doubling the volume of unemployment in the countryside as the agricultural workers and farmers in general become no longer having the capacity that would enable them t agricultural production for marketing.
According to statements of agricultural development the dealing and solving of this situation necessitates re-organisation of the agricultural economic sector and re-distribution of the workforce by the local councils on whose shoulders lies studying necessary elements for increasing production and helping farmers on settlement through encouragement of establishing agricultural societies and supporting the existing ones I addition to giving them loans t be able to play their role in agricultural development.
The countryside areas need in the first place the completing of infrastructures as electricity, waters and communications. The countryside also needs officials in the executive bodies at the districts and the local for attaining the aspired goals from the rural development process first and then to work for stability of the human element instead of collective migration to the cities that are no longer able to accommodate more than their capacity. We have seen the president of the republic that during his field visits he was paying attention to roads networks, waters and agriculture and his directives to the officials and urging farmers and citizens for giving attention and care to money-yielding crops. We can infer out of this the necessity of reviving life to agriculture in the rural areas to increase production and development of exports instead of the compulsory migration in quest of water and mirage. The rural development is thus the essence of the economic activation. It helps for stability and protects our youth against migrating from the countryside. We have to work together for creating the attracting elements for the settlement and stability of rural areas population and to curb the collective migration towards cities. The whole mater is in need for a national strategy for the countryside dealing with exploring how the local communities be able to attain to a more advanced vision for solving the problems of the rural areas and facing backwardness by founding industry that serves the local market and activates local professions and then to turn towards developing the local community.
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