The Rural Transformation Centre (RTC) Programme of Malaysia: An Examination From The Perspective of Inclusive Rural Development Concept
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Date
2016-11-14
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Abstract
In the contemporary discourse, it is argued that the ultimate objective of rural development is to improve
the quality of life for rural people. This makes it essential to go beyond the income-related factors of
rural development. Inclusive Rural Development, a more specific concept than the concept of
conventional rural development, accommodates the variables for the quality of life in rural development.
This concept covers three different but interrelated dimensions: economic dimension, social dimension
and political dimension. The key drivers of this concept are: high overall economic growth, effective land
reform, rural infrastructure, effective institutions, rural financial services, a dynamic agricultural sector,
rural non-farm enterprises, and subsidies. Rural Transformation Centre (RTC), implemented by the
government of Malaysia, is the third generation of the rural development programmes in the country.
RTC is a site to implement some integrated initiatives for the rural communities within 100 kilometre
radius of the sites. There are eight major initiatives under the RTC implementation programmes, which
are: training of rural population; setting up of 1Malaysia information kiosks; high-value agriculture
initiatives; agro-food products processing; agricultural produce supply chain management; university
cooperation; food safety and pharmaceuticals services; and rural population financial facilities. This
paper will attempt to examine the merits of RTC concept of Malaysia in light of the concept of Inclusive
Rural Development, which will help relevant governmental and non-governmental bodies and
researchers to gain some insights regarding the potentials and challenges of RTC in improving the
quality of life for rural people.
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Keywords
Rural development, inclusive rural development, rural livelihood development