1.2. Background
In order for the producer of MARABA Coffee to take advantage
of opportunities for growth presented by coffee production and other sectors,
and to overcome supply side constraints, farmers and entrepreneurs of MABARA
Coffee are being supported through technical assistance and investment in
infrastructure and institutions by SPREAD and National University of Rwanda.
Recognizing the limitations faced by the farmers of MARABA
Coffee to individually access on credit buyers, and low production with
critical quality SPREAD-NUR is working closely with ABAHUZAMUGAMBI Cooperative
to develop a range of coffee production, marketing and credit services for
these farmers with significant outcomes. And as targeted by SPREAD-NUR, the
value-adding activities of supporting the development of central pulpery
processing, credit access, improved marketing and the development of new
business models for Coffee translate into higher revenues, more income and
improved social wellbeing for the rural poor therefore rural development.
Rural development refers to the actions and initiatives taken
to improve the standards of living in non urban neighbourhoods, countryside,
and remote villages. These communities can exemplify with a low ratio of
inhabitant to open space.
World rural population are estimated to 57% in 1990 and 50.5%
in 2006, with 30% of land is covered by forests in 2005, with also permanent
cropland 1.1% in 2005, arable land 11% (World Bank, 2008).
The programs of rural development are not concerned only with
the developing world; also the developed countries have very active rural
development programs. The main aim of the rural government policy is to develop
the underdeveloped villages.
Rwanda known as a land of the thousand hills is a small
country in central Africa and one of the most densely populated nations. Rwanda
has experienced a series of civil and ethnics conflicts since the late 1950s.
In 1994 one million Rwandan people dead and displacing half of the country's
population
2008, 79.8% of Rwandans live in rural areas, with an average
growth rate of 0.6% on the land area of 24.7 thousand km2 (in 2007),
with a permanent cropland of 11.1% of land area in 2005, arable land 48,6% in
2005 (World Development Indicators, 2008).
Since this difficult period, and taking into account of the
percentage of the rural population, the government of Rwanda has sought to
rebuild the country by improving its governance. Rwanda poverty reduction
strategy paper focuses on poverty reduction, and the country's sustainable
economic development.
1.3. Statement of the
problem
Rwanda is a densely populated country in which a large
majority of the population depends on agriculture for subsistence. Major axes
of this sector are food security, sustainable use of soil and water protection
and good management of the forests, as well as biodiversity conservation and
environment promotion.
Rural development actions mostly aim at the social and
economic development of the areas. This program is usually top down from the
local or regional authorities, regional development agencies, NGOs, National
government or international development organizations.
However rural development actions in Rwanda are still in its
emerging stages, this is why the sustained rural development is still doubtful
in Rwanda. Therefore this study will analyze the contribution of higher
learning institutions in rural development of Rwanda.
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