Poverty Alleviation Through Rural – Urban Linkages : Lessons And Implication For Development In Nigeria

Abstract

One of the main aspects of rural poverty is the lack of access to basic infrastructure and services. Governments tend to develop infrastructure and provide services to the urban areas mostly because of economies of scale. Linking urban and rural areas is one of the core elements of urban and rural poverty alleviation. There are three related aspects of poverty, which include income poverty, access poverty and power poverty. The alleviation of income poverty can only be sustainable if the poor themselves initiate and sustain the income generating activity. The poor also need access to essential infrastructure and services. This paper posits that rural–urban linkages have implication for poverty alleviation. The linkage helps to strengthen the balance of political power between urban and rural areas and an improved capacity to seize economic opportunities in a globalizing economy. The empowerment of rural communities is of the process of decentralization, the redistribution of government function to lower levels of government, the move towards good governance and the growing emphasis on community participation in decision making

Keywords: poverty alleviation, participation, empowerment

Global Approaches to Extension Practice Vol. 3 (2) 2007: pp. 84-91