What is Rural?

With the name “Asian Rural Institute” and a program dedicated to training rural leaders, there can be no mistake about ARI’s commitment to reaching the rural regions of the world and the people that live there. But interestingly, one conversation that frequently arises at ARI is, “What is rural?” During the annual Rural Community Study Tour, participants spend two weeks traveling through northern Japan meeting organic farmers, staying in their homes, and working together with them on their farms. They experience how these farmers and farming communities lead simple, respectful, and fulfilled lives through working the earth while caring for the environment. It leaves a lasting impression. At the end of the trip, however, many report that the areas they visited were not rural. Paved roads, electricity, good houses, and access to schools are not a part of any rural situation they have encountered in their lives. It comes as both a shock and an inspiration. Moses Busulwa from Uganda states flatly, “In Japan, there is no rural.”

Rural is lack

According to ARI graduates, then, what is rural? As usual, opinions vary, but the conversations frequently begin with a list of the things rural areas lack. Steven Van Bik says, “Rural…in the Myanmar context…all they have is, let’s say lack: lack of transport or let’s say low education and lack of health facilities and then lack of communication. For example, in my area, because of this mountainous area, access to this safe drinking water is very rare, so they go down to the stream or the spring and then carry out the water.” Fr. Josemarie Kizito posits, “A rural person in Africa, in Uganda here, means a poor person. They are synonymous – rural and poverty – you see.”

Rural is farming

The talk then often turns toward the livelihoods of rural people, which is almost exclusively farming. “Their main occupation is farming,” explains Oscar Nkweche of Cameroon. There is no person who does anything apart from farming and most of them, they send their children to school because of [the income gained by] farming. They depend only on farming for their livelihoods.” Sarah Nuh describes village life in northeast India like this: “Before the sunrise [they] are already there in the field, and then by evening when it is almost dark, then only they come home.”

The value of rural life

Eventually, the discussion tends to head in another direction, but this time toward the positive. ARI speaks often of the value of rural life – of long traditions of people working together and sharing, both in times of plenty and in times of want. Furthermore, it is rural people who are the producers of food for all people. How can anything be more valuable than the food that sustains life? But how about those who grow up and live in those harsh conditions of lack? Does rural life have any value to them? Jude Fonsah of Cameroon speaks of rural as, “a place where people are underprivileged and very poor, but all have a sense of belonging and feel the pain together.” Collins Yenika follows up with this depiction: “I’ll give you an example here in Cameroon. Like in the rural communities there are people who may not have food in their homes, but will never go hungry. There is that spirit of solidarity, that spirit of sharing you see, which is something very much cherished in the rural communities around Cameroon. We attach a lot of importance to sharing, especially food, with community members. Or for example, if somebody dies here now, the whole community will come to console…. Or if there’s a mishap somewhere like a fire, accident, or something happens, the whole community will try to join hands maybe to contribute or to help that person out of that situation. Those are some values which we really hold on to in the rural communities. Those are some of the things that really bind us together, really make us rural.”