PROBLEM & SOLUTION RURAL POVERTY AND HOW WE TACKLE IT
The Vastness of Rural Poverty
India is recognised globally as an economic powerhouse. But whilst significant gains have been made over the last 20 years, much of this wealth generation has been inequitable, with 606 million living in rural villages, either below or just above the poverty line.
‘ABOVE THE POVERTY LINE’, IS STILL POVERTY!
Whilst official poverty rates in India fell from 45% of the population in 1994 to 25% in 2022, those that have ‘come out of poverty’ still live in dire and difficult circumstances. In fact, 56% of the population of India are rural families that do not have a level of income to enable them to live a decent quality of life, rather than just bare subsistence.
LIVELIHOODS IS THE KEY!
It sounds simple … It’s not! Livelihoods is a multi-faceted issue, and is so much more than just the impart of skills and education. In fact, in order for any person to earn a livelihood they require 5 sets of capital to support them. To prosper, rural families need ALL of these things and more, to support them in earning a livelihood. If just one of them topples, the building blocks begin to fall.
Rural Poverty in India Has Become the Matter of Concern
Supporting large industries, besides engaging labour force for repairs and servicing. Cash crops cover more area than food crops in the district. The major crops grown in the district are cotton, maize, sugarcane, tower and paddy. Banana, mango, guava and sapota are the main horticultural crops. Vegetables are grown extensively in Pavi Jetpur, Chhotaudepur & Naswadi blocks of the district. As monsoon continues to be erratic, need for greater focus lies in water resource management. Farmers need to be incentivised to save water by adopting suitable cropping pattern on their farms. There is a need for conserving soil moisture security so that “more crop per drop” can be achieved. As per the information of State Emergency Operation Centre, Revenue Department, Gandhinagar, the average rainfall of Chhotaudepur district is 991 mm and it has received 463 mm i.e. 46.37%, till the end of July 2015
Rural poverty in India tends to be increasing with passing time due to specific factors responsible for it. On the one hand, India aims to create a milestone in the space and other sectors. The increasing rural poverty is proving to be a significant roadblock on the way of reaching its target. More than a quarter of the residents in the rural area is falling under the poverty line category.
The term ‘poverty rate’ is defined as the share of the population (percentage) below the poverty line. Rural poverty in India is not a new concept, its prevailing since the very beginning and has proved to be more devastating than any pandemic. Coronavirus’s emerging crisis has further added to the already existing problem of rural poverty in India. Covid-19 has contributed immensely to India’s rising poverty rate, putting millions of rural populations with no shelter, food, employment, and other necessities to sustain life.
India has an overall population of approximately 1.3 million, where more than 900 million people live in rural areas of the country. While the poverty rate is reduced due to governmental support and schemes, various factors such as natural disasters, dependency on agriculture, and high birth rates have added to the extended poverty in rural India that hits around 300 million people. As per the recent reports, 22% of Indians fall below the line of poverty, and that’s a huge concern that needs proper attention of all.
Eradicating the Issue of Rural Poverty is Crucial
We couldn’t have taken a back seat gazing at the situation, so, as a social-welfare NGO, Shri Real Dream of Foundation is striving hard to eradicate the emerging issue of rural poverty in India amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic. In furtherance to the same, our NGO has distributed around 1000 food packets in several parts of Bodeli Chhotaudepur amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. Also, we have delivered around 800 ration kits to support the migrant workers until now.
Causes of Rural Poverty
India is said to live in villages, the term though confusing yet delivers the meaning very well, 70 percent of the population lives in the villages. The massive influx of people back to the villages due to the coronavirus crisis has burdened the economy. The rural areas, which were already under stress due to underemployment and unemployment, have further witnessed a decline in the agricultural sector’s investment over the years. Like demonetization and the gradual shift from agriculture to manufacturing production, some other factors contributed majorly to rural poverty in India. Due to these underlying factors, the scope of returning migrant laborers will be challenging, giving rise to a vast new side of poverty.
Further looking into significant causes of rural poverty in India:
- Geographical factors- Geographical factors like unpredictable rain patterns in monsoons and other weather conditions impact massively the crop products and their yields that result in rural poverty in India.
- Personal factors– Major factors like sickness, lack of nutrition from food, Sickle cell Decease in chhotaudepur, Panchmahal, Narmada District of Tribal Zone , un-hygienic lifestyle have resulted in no work and no gain. This ultimately leads to rural poverty in India. Factors like laziness, addiction to alcohol, drugs, etc. have further added to this.
- Economic factor– Rural India mostly depends upon agriculture for a living. But most of the farmers rely on traditional methods of agriculture. With this, the annual production is significantly less, leading to the agriculture sector, which is underdeveloped to provide employment, leading to rural poverty in India.
- Population- Rapid increase in population leads to rural poverty in India. Much developed medical and healthcare facilities in India have reduced the overall death rate, but the birthrate is not under control with much effectiveness. Prominent families with limited resources have contributed to rural poverty in poverty.
- Shocks and adversities- The chaos amidst Covid-19 has re-added to the already surviving issues of rural poverty in India.
Our Interventions
Shri Real Dream of Foundation enhances farm productivity and profitability; makes farming practices climate resilient and nature friendly; and works with communities to arrest land degradation. Our climate resilient agriculture approach helps farmers mitigate risks of climate change, reduce the cost of cultivation, increase productivity and enhance their adaptive capacities.
