International Journal of Rural Management

Government regulations constrained tribals’ integration with market economy and its benefits. Marketing facilitation institutions established by Government of India for minor forest produce trade had severe limitations. In this regard, an alternative to supplement or compliment government’s work is necessary to improve tribal livelihoods. Non-government organizations (NGOs) which gained importance since seventh five-year plan were taking efforts for linking tribals to markets. Dhruva is one such NGO established in Gujarat state. Through orchard programme, it created alternative asset base for tribal producers and established production, processing and marketing facilities. It also created community-based organizations to sustain activities in the long run. This article, based on qualitative research, presents an analysis of Dhruva’s efforts in integrating tribal producers with markets and changes taking place in their livelihoods.

Microenterprise development (MED) has been recognized as an important strategy for employment generation and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Microfinance has been identified as an important approach to help the poor in getting access to financial services. Among microfinance, self-help group (SHG) bank linkage and microfinance institution (MFI) models are the major models in India. The present study is about critically analyzing and assessing the workings of these approaches. The major objectives of the study are (a) to understand the approach, design and process of implementation of microfinance approaches, (b) to analyze the performance of microfinance approaches as a tool for promotion of microenterprise and (c) to identify the factors influencing the performance of microenterprises. Using primarily the case study method of research, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected including carrying out a limited survey of micro-entrepreneurs with these interventions. The study has adopted a descriptive analysis method. Intra- and inter-case analysis has been carried out. The study concludes that financial system approach has been useful in helping poor people in establishing their microenterprise but failed to help them in expansion of the activity due to higher interest rate (MFI model) and limitation on loan amount (SHG model). Despite their limitation of loan amount, SHG bank linkage model has come out as a better approach in promoting microenterprises.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) launched the microfinance banking scheme on December 2005 as part of government strategies to achieve one of the cardinal agendas of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing extreme poverty by 2015. The microfinance banks (MFBs) were promoted to provide financial services to the economically active poor in the society and to create an environment of financial inclusion to boost the capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises that abound in our rural areas. The impact of the MFBs in rural development in Nigeria was empirically evaluated in this study using some performance indicators. These include growth in deposit mobilization, aggregate credit extension, loan per rural person (LPRP), total assets of MFBs, etc. The ordinary least square econometrics was used to generate the regression coefficients and other statistics. Data for the study were gathered from the Annual Report and Accounts published by the MFBs and collated and analyzed by the CBN in the Statistical Bulletins. The impetus for the study was largely derived from the renewed interest in microfinancing by the World Bank, International Development Institutions, the Nigerian Government and other International Development Partners. The results of the study show that MFBs have impacted positively on our rural economy. The regression coefficients for all the key factors analyzed in the research were positive though not statistically significant. This means that the full impact possibilities of these institutions as catalyst for rural development are yet to be realized. The findings also provide significant support to the rationale earlier canvassed by the CBN for the recent re-engineering of the various microfinance institutions in the country in order to improve their impact possibilities. The researchers noted that the recent re-engineering and retooling of the MFBs scheme is one step in the right direction and recommends that government should provide key infrastructures especially electricity and ensure stable macroeconomic environment to enable micro and other business enterprises to thrive in the country.

The article presents the results of a study on the classification of municipalities in the Region of Sardinia (Italy) based on the relationship between existing levels of rurality/urbanity and competitiveness in order to evaluate similarities and differences. The study was carried out via multivariate analysis of two sets of indicators, defining the two issues and a subsequent comparison of the results. Not only a clear link, but also signs of inconsistency arose from the study between urbanity and competitiveness. If, generally speaking, the municipalities close to conditions of urbanity are characterized by conditions of greater competitiveness and well-being, from the point of view of population dynamics, their performance is somewhat disappointing. An increase in the level of rurality does not always correspond to a higher degree of discomfort, although this tendency still represents the normal condition. Identifying and analyzing these situations might constitute an important step towards building more specific rural development strategies. Recommendations are therefore made regarding the need for further research on these issues in order to improve the quality and relevance of information used by public policymakers.