Analyzing the contribution of higher learning institutions on rural development in Rwanda: case of the study SPREAD-NUR and Abahuzamugambi Coffee Cooperative Maraba

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Introduction

This part gives an overall review of existing literature it covers theoretical framework definitions of key concepts and different theories about them. The overall purpose of this review is to know about the result of studies related to topics under study.

2.2. Introduction to Higher Education for Rural Development

Education for rural people is crucial to achieving both the Education for All (EFA) goals, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring universal primary education by 2015, promoting gender equity and ensuring environmental sustainability. (Eduardo Ramos and María Del Mar Delgado; 2005).

In 1996, the World Food Summit in Rome stressed increased access to education for the poor and members of disadvantaged groups, including rural people, as a key to achieving poverty eradication, food security, durable peace and sustainable development. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, also emphasized the role of education.

As the majority of the world's poor, illiterate and undernourished live in rural areas, it is a major challenge to ensure their access to quality education. The lack of learning opportunities is both a cause and an effect of rural poverty. Hence, education and training strategies need to be integrated within all aspects of sustainable rural development, through plans of action that are multisectoral and interdisciplinary. This means creating new partnerships between people working in agriculture and rural development, and people working in education. (Eduardo Ramos and María Del Mar Delgado; 2005).

To address this challenge, the Directors-General of FAO and UNESCO jointly launched the flagship programme on Education for rural people (ERP) in September 2002 (http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/), during the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

This initiative involves an inter-agency approach to facilitate targeted and co-ordinated actions for education in rural areas. It is within this framework, and to provide inspiration for the flagship initiative, that the FAO's Extension, Education and Communication Service and UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) have jointly launched a series of publications. This series is co-ordinated and edited by David Atchoarena (IIEP) and Lavinia Gasperini (FAO). (Eduardo Ramos and María Del Mar Delgado; 2005).

2.3. Rural development, Sustainable Rural development and Rural Public works projects

2.3.1. Rural development

Rural development in general is used to denote the actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-Urban neighbourhoods, countryside, and remote villages. These communities can be exemplified with a low ratio of inhabitants to open space. Agricultural activities may be prominent in this case whereas economic activities would relate to the primary sector, production of foodstuffs and raw materials.( www.wikipedia.org)

Rural development is also multi-dimensional and much broader than poverty alleviation through social programmes and transfers; it places emphasis on changing environments to enable poor people to earn more, invest in themselves and their communities and contribute toward maintenance of key infrastructure; a successful strategy will make people less poor, rather then more comfortable in their poverty (Cheam Phan Viriya, 2009)