روند تحول و چالش هاي عمران و توسعه روستايي در ايران

The Process of Changes and Challenges of Rural Development in Iran

During the recent decades, rural development has been one of the major concerns of development in Iran and the majority of developing countries. In many countries, rural development is considered as an important strategy for provision of basic needs and optimal distribution of the privileges resulting from national development. For this purpose, various models have been experienced in different methods which have mainly failed to yield desirable outcomes and still, the share of the rural societies from development and progress is very little in the third world. Majority of the poor population in third world countries live either in the villages or are slum settlers of rural origin in the city margins. The world Bank which has mostly experienced failed models in this area finally got to the conclusion that rural development is a strategy for improvement of social and economic life of poor villagers and a comprehensive all- sided endeavor to lower poverty which can be achieved through increase of production and improvement of productivity in the rural environment. Rural development should take the rural society out of its traditional isolation by modernizing it and merging it in the national economy For this same reason, rural development is an overwhelming mission and does not limit to a sector. But includes all of the sectors and social, economical and physical foregrounds. In Iran, although irregular efforts for rural development started since 1920s and rural development was considered to a degree in the initial national development plans, major transformations took place during 1960s when the rural society underwent considerable changes. After the Islamic Revolution, development and changes in the Iranian rural society found expanded and deep dimensions However, proportionate with the transformations, problems and challenges of rural development also increased so that today, in addition to the old problems which have lasted so far, new challenges have emerged.