Assessing rural development: Indicators based on heritages of the peasantry analytical framework

Abstract

The meaning of rural development has been widely discussed worldwide among the policy makers, academics and peasants. Rural development aims to improve the quality of life, while respecting the rights of all rural inhabitants. This paper describes the indicators selected to assess rural development at the household level and classifies them according to the analytical framework 'Heritages of the Peasantry' to facilitate the analysis of their connections. Delphi methodology was used to select the most relevant indicators, which included the participation of a panel of experts on the online survey, statistical analysis and a field test. The results show that the 23 indicators selected focused on productive, social, infrastructural, commercial, institutional and environmental concerns. The indicators chosen cover a broader range of rural development issues than previous studies and the methodology used to select them was inclusive of different stakeholders involved. However, restriction on technology access in the countryside was the bottleneck to reach the contribution of more rural inhabitants.