Turning villages into cities is a strategic mistake

The CEO of the Rural and Nomadic Development House of Iran said in a scientific meeting of the Center for Development and Foresight Research on economic development and rural employment: “Turning villages into cities (in many cases) is a strategic mistake that if we reach the principle of sustainable rural society.” If we do not find it, the tragedy of marginalization will not leave the country.

According to ISNA, Dr. Seyed Abolfazl Razavi, Scientific Director of the 78th Scientific-Specialized Meeting of the Center for Development and Foresight Research on “Economic Development and Rural Employment in the Sixth Plan and the Approach of the Seventh Development Plan”, which was held virtually, said: Commenting on the importance of creating sustainable employment in rural areas, he said: “The design of the seventh development plan in the field of rural development should be inclined so that we can see sustainable employment in the country’s villages.”

In the definition of the village, he said: in the new definition of the village, the threefold of employment, viability and security should be considered. Turning villages into cities (in many cases) is a strategic mistake that, if we do not achieve the principle of a sustainable rural society, the tragedy of marginalization will not leave the country.

In the continuation of this meeting, Dr. Habib Jabbari, Deputy Minister of Planning, Supervision and Land Management of the State Planning and Budget Organization, regarding the achievements of the Sixth Development Plan on rural employment development, said: Despite extensive efforts and allocation of various credits, such as one and a half billion dollars The resources of the Development Fund were used to develop employment in the villages, about 152,000 rural projects were covered, however, we are far from the desired point.

Regarding the lessons learned for the development of rural areas in the provinces during the Sixth Development Plan, Jabbari said: “We must move from the central facilities to the central program.” Money spraying alone cannot create sustainable jobs in the village. The provinces’ share of rural development had to be clearly defined.

He continued: over 10,000 reports have been compiled during the Sixth Development Plan only regarding the rural development of the provinces. The results of these reports can be used in the design of the Seventh Development Plan.

Jabbari added: “Creating employment in rural areas in the seventh plan should be based on a central plan, and in this plan we should reduce the pressure on resources.”

The official of the Program and Budget Organization continued: Reducing the creation of employment for cheap money and the price of “bank facilities” is a strategic mistake; Because at best it becomes a kind of money laundering. Microfinance does not necessarily mean cheap facilities. We must move towards enterprise-oriented development of rural employment. Sustainable employment is created in the network; Not in dots.

Jabbari added: “It is important to integrate policies and create a single window in providing services to the villages, and I hope that the banking network will move from the role of ‘participation in development’ to the role of ‘participation in development’ to rural employment during the seventh program.”

Dr. Reza Jamshidi, head of the Management and Planning Organization of Khorasan Razavi Province, also called the lack of attention to sustainability criteria in rural development a serious injury and said: “The emptiness of villages is the result of strategic error decisions.”

He continued: “In recent years, population growth in the rural sector has always been negative.” This means that our plans for rural development are not properly designed. Of course, the discussion of models of national divisions also plays an important role in this, so that many villages want to become cities.

Explaining the concept of sustainable development in rural areas, Jamshidi said: “We must act in such a way that the rural person can live in high quality in his village with the aim of improving the quality of life in rural communities and according to the upstream documents.” Therefore, entrepreneurship development, paying attention to the value chain, empowering the villagers, and supporting employment-creating measures are among the important issues in the sustainable development of villages.

Regarding the role of Khorasan Razavi province according to the Sixth Development Plan regarding the development of villages, he said: “In this province, we studied more than 1703 villages.” In the process of this study, we achieved 91 value chains in the studied villages. The results of these studies have led us to the point that we need some kind of creative destruction and re-creation in view of rural employment.

The head of the Management and Planning Organization of Khorasan Razavi Province, in explaining his proposals, pointed to the development of the seventh plan at the (national level) and said: in the new phase, a law should be developed to support development and create sustainable employment in rural and nomadic areas for the seventh development plan. And measures should be taken that resources should be allocated to all activities and programs resulting from the output of economic development and employment development studies (subject of part (1) paragraph (a) of Article (27)) of the provinces of the country.

He added: “Developing a national plan for” inclusive and impoverished “growth is a combination of economic development plan and rural employment of the provinces, as well as decentralization and delegating the authority of responsible and effective organizations in rural economic development to the provinces.”

Dr. Abolfazl Yari, head of the Management and Planning Organization of Qazvin province, regarding the position of the village in the province’s high-level plans, said: “Scientific and industrial development, advanced agriculture and attractive tourism.”

In this regard, he continued: “It is also necessary to accurately explain the investment opportunities in the village with central emphasis on land management plan, strategic document of provincial development and rural development document of the province.”

The head of the Management and Planning Organization of Qazvin province continued: “One of the quick and accurate methods of identifying investment capacities and economic prosperity of villages is the methods of rapid participatory evaluation.”

He added: “Accordingly, the researcher with the help of professional facilitators and by attending the target group and their participation and consensus can identify and prioritize investment capacities in rural production and with the help and assistance of villagers and experts necessary to benefit Take advantage of these capacities.

Yari pointed to the centrality of the six principles and said: “Each program should be in accordance with the identified capacities and not in conflict with the above documents of the province, even if the villagers are the main investors, now the private sector investor to implement the proposed project To take. Simply put, the villagers should be most in tune with the proposed project.