The purpose of the study was to investigate how the co-operatives can be used to uplift the standard of living in the rural, with specific reference to Dutywa villages of Ngcingwane, Mangati and Mbewuleni. In other words is ‘how do we make co-operatives work’. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate whether co-operatives have contributed to positive change in the socio-economic conditions in the three villages of Dutywa. The research further analyzes the performance of the co-operatives in terms of their leadership and management structures. The research was also to find out what the challenges are and what are the gaps associated with the performance of the co-operatives. The research was also to look at how the support from different government departments and other government agencies are used to enhance the co-operatives governance. Lastly, the research was to find the best model for co-operative development and what needs to be done to enhance the capacity of the co-operatives. In the study that was carried out, four different approaches were used. The research was based on action research which involved a range of instruments like questionnaires, focus group interviews, conversation and observation. Both comparative and qualitative research frameworks were used for different purposes and at different times. Comparative approach is used when the three co-operatives are compared to each other. Differences on governance and administrative issues on governance such as capital, market and the impact thereafter is reported on. The research assumption was that co-operative development is a viable tool for economic development of the rural areas. This can help many South Africans and many communities come out of poverty. However, there are 6 limitations that are caused by the inability of government to co-ordinate co-operative development. Despite the role that co-operatives play in South Africa, co-operatives still experience a number of challenges. These challenges are, amongst others, lack of access to finance, lack of access to market, lack of business skills, lack of infrastructural facilities and lack of knowledge about the co-operative. In view of the challenges facing the co-operatives, the government instituted a number of state departments and parastatals for funding and other necessary support. These are DTI, DEDEA (in the Eastern Cape), ECDC, SEDA, Department of Labour and municipalities. The objectives of these support institutions are to provide necessary support needed by co-operatives and to ensure that co-operative development is sustainable. The findings of this study suggest that co-operatives play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the rural villages. Co-operatives create self-employment and sometimes employment through temporary employment offered; provide space and time for socialization and lastly co-operative members are sometimes through their produce able to provide basic foodstuffs to the family. In view of the socio-economic benefits of the co-operatives in rural villages of Dutywa, it is highly recommended that various support programmes that are already there within the departments should be enhanced. Assistance to co-operatives should not only be limited to government funding for co-operatives but more concentration should be on finding market for their products.

Over the last century the Prairie region has undergone a transition from predominantly rural to predominantly urban settlement. By the early 1900s emphasis began to shift from rural-based primary activities to urban-based industrial activity. One product of this transition was the marginalization of rural communities. An examination of literature pertinent to Canadian development policy reveals no single solution to rural decline. Instead there are numerous theories and recommendations which communities can adopt. One such strategy has been locally-based development. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to knowledge concerning what locally-based organizations can do to mitigate the impact of decline in rural communities. As a case study, Manitoba's Regional Development Corporations (RDCs) are analyzed within the context of the provincial government's overall approach for rural development in order to investigate their effectiveness in contributing to locally-based rural development. This effectiveness is measured in goals, strategies and processes of an RDC as they changed over three periods: (1) 1963/73, (2)1973/83, (3) 1983/90. In each period the following questions were asked: 1. What priorities or objectives were emphasized in provincial development policy? 2. What strategies were used by the province and RDCs to achieve rural development? 3. What role was established for locally-based participation? Throughout the three study periods the province's regional policies remained based on laissez-faire economic principles, while the RDC approach was oriented to regional-national integration (i.e., merging of regional economic activity with national and international markets). The conclusion is that RDCs affected rural development by enhancing the abilities of local businesses participating in the provincial marketplace. RDCs have concentrated on supporting a process for adapting to rural transition, rather than reversing forces impinging on rural communities. Lessons extended from the RDC study suggest that if efforts to enhance a rural area's competitive position in national or international markets become the principal objective for local development, the unique qualities associated with rural life may be difficult to maintain. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Submitted in (partial) fulfilment of the requirement of the Master’s Degree Community Work in the field of Social Work in the Faculty of Arts Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, 2010. / Rural development strategies can realise their full potential only through active involvement and organisation of rural people at grassroots level (FAO, 1981:12). The rural poor have not participated in sharing the benefits from the enormous development efforts of the three past decades, neither in proportion to their needs. After 1994, the South African democratic government adopted a people-centred developmental approach in order to heal the legacy of the past regime. The aim of community-centred approach is to enhance the skills and capacity of communities by promoting their participation in the own development (Theron, 2005:120). Various authors agreed that participation of people in the system which governs their lives is a basic human right and essential for relocation of political power in favour of disadvantaged groups and for social and economic development. However, in Nquthu citizen participation has developed into an ideology rather than a practical mechanism to promote participation by citizens and to improve local governance. Community participation is a concept that is often mentioned in community development perspective. Theron (2005:120) views community participation as a process to give communities an opportunity to determine their own destination in terms of their needs and resources. This means that provision at grassroots level with abilities, which could enable them to negotiate development delivery systems and be able to take informed decisions, in terms of their development needs and priorities (Theron, 2005:119). Leisner (1974) in Lombard (1992:256) contends that the purpose of community participation is to create opportunities for the community to take part in (1) planning and policy making, (2) allocation and distribution of resources and (3) the management of services. However, the aim of the study was to assess community participation trends in rural development process in Nquthu, northern KwaZulu-Natal. An evaluative research method was followed in which data was gathered through questionnaires and focus group discussions. The study was comprised of seventy respondents. It is structured into five chapters. Chapter one deals with the introduction, the statement of the problem, motivation for choice of study, aims and objectives of the study, definition of important concept, the basic assumptions, research method, significant of the study and chapter organisation. Chapter two discusses the theory and philosophy of community participation. It conceptualises the concept related to community participation in development; this includes community development, integrated rural development and rural development. It also highlights the policy framework on community participation in terms of international, national policy documents and also highlights the overview of integrated developmental plan. Chapter three describes the ethnographic sketch of the Nquthu community, location of the study and activities of the place. Chapter four presents the data results, interpretation and analysis. Chapter five presents the results and discussions of results. Chapter six reflects the conclusion and the way forward.

The issue of rural poverty is deeply rooted in the skewed distribution of the resources in the rural areas. The majority of rural people do not have access to the basic services like health, water, electricity, education etc. the inequalities constitute a barrier to progress, and indeed there is some evidence to indicate that the extreme inequality acts as bottleneck to development. Land Reform and Rural Development programmes have been initiated in the rural areas to alleviate poverty, although they have been subject to hot debates in many countries. This is due to the fact that most of these programmes have fallen short of expectations, especially of the intended beneficiaries. This discourse attempts to link Land Reform and rural development to poverty alleviation. This is done by reviewing literature on land reform and rural development, analysing the case of Tarlton land Redistribution project and recommendations on the best practice for poverty alleviation through an integrated approach towards land reform and rural development.

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Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes special report study entitled: Environmental dried food technology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1973.