Gravity Model Forecasts

1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main Content

3.1 Social Infrastructure 3.2 Physical Infrastructure 3.3 Institutional Infrastructure 3.4 Level of Living

3.5 Illiteracy 4.0 Conclusion 5.0 Summary

6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment 7.0 References/Further Reading

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Community, as you have learnt, is made up of people living together in a defined bounded locality. The people’s co-existence is being promoted by a common territory, beliefs, values, administration and set standards or pattern of behaviour to mention but a few Rural communities are, however, not without their problems. In this unit, the common problems of the rural communities will be discussed.

Problems and Development of Rural Areas

The factors that engender habitability are very germane in the quality of life of the rural people. Communities in rural areas are worth living in, but some perennial problems prevail, and they aggravate the rate of migration from rural areas to the urban areas. Some of the problems are social, physical and institutional infrastructure. Others are level of living and illiteracy.

58 2.0 OBJECTIVES

At the end of this unit, you should be able to

• differentiate between social, physical and institutional infrastructure

• discuss the problems of living standard

• explain how illiteracy is a problem amongst the rural people.

3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Social Infrastructure

One of the problems that still “drives” people from rural areas to urban areas is lack of or inadequate social infrastructure. Most rural communities are still deficient in the areas of health care facilities, educational facilities, portable water supply, employment opportunities and electricity supply.

Where some of the above are available, they may be in short supply, dysfunctional or moribund. As a result, rural communities are prone to outbreak of diseases and unemployment.

3.2 Physical Infrastructure

The problem of inadequate physical infrastructure is also worth mentioning. Poor road network does not allow rural people to convey their farm products to the market as at when due. Hence, spoilage, waste and reduction in marketability of products are perennial problems being witnessed by the rural dwellers. Also, where markets are available, lock-up stores are not provided. Due to lack of electricity in some communities, cottage industries cannot be provided and this makes processing of some farm products impossible.

3.3 Institutional Infrastructure

The institutional infrastructure is made up of the police, fire services, postal services, extension services and telephone services. Rural communities, in most parts of Nigeria lack institutional services. You must not forget that some of the institutions like the police and fire services are concerned about the people’s security, others with communication services while others are for information on improved farming technologies. The absence of these institutions, therefore poses much difficulties to the dwellers of these communities.

59 3.4 Level of Living

As earlier defined in this course, level of living is generally used to describe the quantity of goods and services actually consumed by an individual and his/her family. This includes the ownership and use of such items as radio, television, refrigerator, cooker, eating of balanced regular meals, being well clothed, living in a decent house and surrounding, owning some means of transportation and good income for children’s education.

Based on this description, it is obvious that the standard is lacking in rural communities. This is because rural dwellers are generally poor since a large percentage of the people live on peasant farming. It is lack of satisfaction in the level of living that is mostly responsible for the high level of migration from rural areas to urban areas.

3.5 Illiteracy

Studies (Alfred 2001, Okunlola, et. al. 1998) have shown that a large percentage of illiterate Nigerians are in rural areas. Illiteracy in the rural areas encourages fatalistic tendencies among the people. Unwillingness to adopt improved methods of doing things makes the people to use old and non-productive practices. Therefore production has remained abysmally low and thereby affecting their income.

Illiterate rural dwellers are prone to misinterpreting good government policies that affect their lives, it also affects information dissemination among the people.

Efforts of the government to encourage adult education in rural areas is a right step in the right direction. If the people become literate it will create in them the awareness and consciousness of government policies and so become politically active and enfranchised.

4.0 CONCLUSION

This unit has enabled us to identify the prevalent problems in rural area and the ways they after the communities.

5.0 SUMMARY

This unit points out that:

• Social, physical and institutional infrastructure are problems in rural communities

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• Level of living in rural area is very low

• Illiteracy among rural dwellers inhibits rural development.

6.0 TUTOR- MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. State three problems posed by illiteracy in rural areas.

2. Mention two examples each of social and institutional infrastructure.

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

Alfred, S.D.Y. (2001). Effects of Socio-Psychological Factors on the Adoption of Agricultural Innovations by Rural Households in Kogi State. A Ph.D. Thesis, The Federal University of Technology, Akure.

Okunlola, J.O. and S.D.Y. Alfred (1998). Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Production and Utilization of Soybean in Ondo State. Applied Tropical Agriculture, Vol. II.

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