You
will discover in the course of your programme that many concepts and terms in
the pure and applied sciences have slightly varying definitions depending upon
who is defining or explaining them. Rural sociology in Nigeria, which is our
concern here, takes place in different environments or areas.
Thus,
we shall provide you a number of definitions, meaning and 10 Importance of Rural Sociology in
Nigeria
that you can choose anyone you wish to use depending on the context or environment/community
of your writing/speech or you are living.
Rural
sociology is a branch of sociology which deals mainly with the study of social
and cultural factors affecting the lives of those in rural or agrarian
communities.
Rural
sociology as a science is the study and measurement of recurring phenomena in
order to discover the principles by which these phenomena operate.
An
example of the phenomena which rural sociology studies include rural man’s
reciprocal interaction with other rural people. That is, behaviours and
relationship not within an individual but between individuals.
According
to Ekong (1988), rural sociology is defined as the scientific study of social
interactions of the rural population in their group. In other words, it is
concerned with social processes and the whole system of interpersonal and group
relationships involved in rural life.
Rural Sociology is interested in the farmers’ participation and their families in the wider systems of social relationships viz: community, mosque/church, local government, state and the nation.
It is also interested in a determining those
factors which influence clientele (farmers) decisions and actions, the effect
of culture on the acceptance and rejection of innovations (improved
technologies), their reactions to social and political changes in the society
and the methods by which they adapt to these changes.
The Concept of Rurality
Let
us look at what rural is?
The
concept of rurality is a branch of sociology upon which rural sociologists have
their basis. According to the 1963 Nigerian Census, the official designation of
“rural” is a 20,000 population.
Rural
communites should not be considered to be homogenous units.
Now,
we are going to look at the indicators of rurality. There are three indicators
for determining the degree of rurality namely, community size, amenities found
within the community and proportion of male heads of households engaged in
farming as primary occupation. Population density may be included.
Another indicator is infrastructure
facilities; example is socio-cultural characteristics of the population. Rural
can be defined as a remote area of distance far away from the seat of
government; that is, the country side and the people living in villages.
In rural areas, they lack good amenities like good roads, electricity, pipe borne water etc. All these things are found in abundance in the urban areas, big towns or cities.
Historically, Rural, referred to areas with low population
density, small size, and relative isolation, where the major economic activity
was agricultural production, and where the people were relatively homogenous in
their values, attitude and behaviour (Beter et al, 1975).
The Meaning of Sociology
We
may ask this question, what is sociology? Sociologists have defined sociology
in many ways.
Rural sociology is a field of applied sociological research and training that has
historically focused on rural people and places. It has its intellectual origins and
administrative home in the US Land-Grant System of colleges.
Auguste
Comte (1789-1857) often referred to as the father of sociology named the field
of the study from two words –
(1)
The Greek “Logos” meaning word, speech, reasoning or computation
(2)
Latin “socius” meaning companion. “Logus” indicates scientific study; for
example bio-means science of life, geology- science of earth,
anthropology-science of man, sociology would therefore mean the study or theory
of companions, concerned with people’s relationship and interaction with one
and another.
The
word sociology was coined by Auguste Comte in 1837 but between then and now, a
number of specialties have emanated from the field.
Sociology
extends in scope to deal with such institutions, conditions and constraints as
family life, population, crime, community life, poverty, deviant behaviour
among others.
Furthermore,
there are special sociological aspects of the economic, political, religious,
educational institutions and other activities.
The
study of these by sociologists has given rise to specialties like sociology of
education, political sociology, agricultural sociology, economic sociology
among others. However, these sub-specialties or branches provide the
intellectual tools or instruments for the study of rural sociology.
10 Importance of Rural Sociology in Nigeria
Having
now, gained some idea of what rural sociology is, let us go ahead to identify
and explain more its needs or significance to any developing country like
Nigeria.
1. Exposes the characteristics and problems of
ruralites: It brings to light the main characteristics and
problems of rural areas which enable us to interact with them.
2. Provides direct change programme:
Rural Sociology provides a change programme designed to meet the needs of the
rural man. The change programme should be a direct one such as Governmental
Rural Development Programmes (GRDP) containing relevant information needs about
rural people.
3. Provides feedback to the agricultural agencies
on the progress made so far and the modifications needed in their change
programmes.
4. Acts as a change agent interaction with rural
people: Interaction of any change agent with rural people with sociological
knowledge on leadership, power, roles, norms, culture, family organization etc,
enables him perform his job/work more effectively because of experience and
understanding acquired from them.
5. Develops greater understanding:
The purpose underlying the study of rural sociology is to develop greater
understanding of the behaviour of rural people and rural society.
6. Equips students with tools of understanding: It
equips students with tools of understanding to enable them analyse behaviour of
rural people in their relationship with others in rural society. It helps an
individual understand himself and his own social nature, his relation to people
in the society.
7. Helps
to develop a scientific attitude: Rural Sociology helps develop the scientific
attitude of thinking critically and objectively with precision. This attitude
is useful for future occupation.
8. Provides professional training for a future
career as a rural sociologist: Rural Sociology can
provide a beginning professional the required training for a future career as a
rural sociologist. For example, (a) as a teacher or researcher following
academic interest in the field and (b) as a consultant of change and rural
analyst in rural community development.
9. The teaching of Rural Sociology helps to
introduce the learners or students to sociological concepts and the application
of such concepts to the analysis and understanding or rural social
organisation, rural economic problems and the responses of ruralites to social
change.
10. It must be emphasised here that we cannot do
without the rural areas because they form the most important sector of the
economy since a large majority of people live there. For a country to develop,
it must arise and tackle the problems in the rural areas and because
agricultural productivity is indeed the cornerstone in the economic development
and social progress of any developing country.
Conclusion
on what are the 10 Importance of Rural Sociology in Nigeria?
This
article examines what Rural Sociology is from different perspectives, the
concepts of rurality and sociology and the 10 importance of rural sociology in
Nigeria.
The
understanding of the foregoing concepts and sociological knowledge to be gained
will be of immense value to people living in rural areas.
In
this article, we can see that Rural Sociology studies practical, economic and
physiological principles of life, leadership, morals, power, culture etc. It
brings the rural farmers nearer to the adoption of new technologies
(innovations) to ease their farming systems or problems.
For example, (a) as a teacher or researcher following academic interest in the field and (b) as a consultant of change and rural analyst in rural community development.
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