Rural development is inherently viewed as a positive thing; it is seen as something that brings together groups of individuals with automatic positive implications and outcomes. Policy rhetoric frequently uses popular terms such as involvement, participation and power sharing to describe rural development activities. However, the reality of experience on the ground does not necessarily concur with these ideals. It is not always clear who ultimately benefits from rural development: the State, the community or rural development practitioners. This book critically analyses key concepts associated with rural development policy and practice, and using the concepts of power and micro-politics to analyze rhetoric and reality, reveals the intricacies of rural development. Challenging popular ideals associated with rural development, this book presents the notion of rural development less as a spontaneous, all-inclusive affair and more as a limited, controlled and exclusive process. Ultimately it contends that within structures of rural governance, a regeneration power elite predominates development and regeneration activities.

This report draws on lessons learned from observations made at seven case study sites, all of which permit economic activities, especially recreation, that are not harmful to the biological values and natural functions of the area. There is now a need to translate these experiences into policy instruments. The guidelines, summarized in some 20 pages, offer sound and well-documented advice on how to proceed.

Skills training programmes with particular reference to rural youth; Young farmer training through the home project approach an experience in the South Pacific; Chinese rural youth the long march toward education; New perspectives for rural youth in Zambia; International Youth year and rural younth work; A rural training programme that changes lives; Rural development in a small island state; the case of Tonga; Developing community drama: an experience in Chaibasa, India;Community development among the Caribs of Dominica; In service training of extension staff; a sucessful Ghanaian experience; Grass-roots training in India; Rural youth; further resources.

Published in the year 2005, World Yearbook of Education 1974 is a valuable contribution to the field of Major Works