Rural Resources

Resource of rural societies refer to any available developed or underdeveloped materials or energies, both natural and human , or means that are available in the area for use by people in rural society for meeting thire needs and the needs of the society n which they live.While rural resources have been classified in various ways, the following in sufficiently analytical to serve our purpose here:-1.Natural Resources. 2.Man-made Resources. 3.Human Resources.

A.Natural Resources:

1.       Land:The area of cultivated land, uncultivated but arable land, and land unfit for agriculture pursuits.also the prevalling land tenure system which defines ownership and other rights and privileges in respect of land, the size of farm holdings and state of consolidation or fragmentation.

2.       Water:The existence of water supply for purposes such as drinking and other domestic use, irrigation of farm land, for fisheries and fish culture and the growth of edible aquatic plants, as a source of power for electricity, water mills and other industry and mechanical devices using water power, and as a communication channel for transport of goods, livestock and humans from one place to another.

3.       Climate:The amount , frequency, velocity, periodicity, etc.of each of the natural elements of wind,rainfall, and temperature in the area.

4.       Forests or Groves:Either in developed form as a source of income or undeveloped as a potential resource or income.

5.       Minerals:The resorces under the surface of the earth.Stone ,special sand for glass making , iron, bauxite, coal ,oil and other types of minerals if available in the area and used.

B.Man-Made Resources:

In the society some resources have been purposefully created to meet specific needs, but are available to serve in various ways:

1.       Transport and communication facilities:Highways, gravel or soft surface roads, footpaths, bicycles, rickshaws , horse-drawn vehicles, cars, trucks, bus services, rail, boats, dugouts, steamers, radio, television, telephone, print, post and telegraph services are examples of such focilities.

2.       Health and welfare facilities:Health facilities range from a periodic despensary with a compounder or local vaid to a sophisticated rural clinic with modern equipment and well trained    staff to public health and preventative medical facilities such as regular immunisation, first-aid instruction, sanitation measures and any man made arrangements which make for maintenance  of the people in a good state of health.These programmes may be run privately or by the government or by both.

3.       supply and service agencies:These are the existings facilities for the supply of the commodities demanded by rural people and those for which a demand  is being created through welfare and development programmes.The existing channels of supply the available services and their  agencies and channels are further examples.

4.       Marketing and industrial  facilities:Resources available to process from produce and to distribute products,such as flour and oil mills rice hulling and cotton ginning plants , other small industrial units, marketing systems and facilities for storage and disposal of products, cooerative societies, and other organisations available to provide marketing and industrial facilities.

5.       Financial facilities: Provision of adequate banking,credit and loan facilities, perhaps through government or non government agencies such as credit cooperatives, money lenders, and private banks.

6.       Public utilities:Adequate means of water supply ,electricity or gas supply, conservancy facilities and other public utilities.

7.       Educational facilities:School, technical and vocational training facilities, colleges, educational services of any kind available to people in rural society through adult education, rural welfare, rural extension or other agencies under whatever sponsorship government or non government.

8.       Religious facilities:Temples, mosques,churches, centres of religious  pilgrimage , religious instruction, discourse or mediation such as ashrams, monasteries and convents.

9.       Recreational facilities:A variety of facilities such as playground for various games and athletics, theatres, cinemas, radio and television, recreational centres, clubs to provide recreation and enjoyment to rural people in ways and forms acceptable to society.

C.Human Resources:

The greatest resources of any organization, enterprise or society is the people who are part of it.The human resources of rural society ,tremendous and usually under-tapped,are reflected by two aspects:physical and mental.For instance, countries with high population figures have many people of utilise as a physical human resource.As an example ,recognised this physical resource years ago and launched what was called man power mobilization programme as a part of the community development efforts in rural areas.By sheer force of numbers, several public works such as tank digging, road building, building of culverts,dams, school and community centre buildings were completed.The programme continues using this important physical human resource.

Mental human resources contain the vast fund of experience and ``folk knowledge'' about farming, other occupations,and life and living in villages.The experience cannot be matched by any formal university degree in agriculture although formal education may aid effect utilisation.

The range of rural resources is wide and varied and if the rural situation is analysed with care, resources will be found to be enexpect edly numerous.