IRDP in Nepal

1. Integrated Rural Development
Model
Asmita Neupane
Roll no: R-2018-EXT-03M
Department of Agricultural Extension and
Rural Sociology

2. INTRODUCTION
• A systematic scientific and integrated use of all resources enabling
every person to engage himself in a productive and socially useful
occupation and earn an income that would meet at least the basic
needs (Subramaniyam, 1977)
• It aims to provide self-employment program to poor rural families
to help them increase their income and cross the poverty line. It
mainly targets the poor families which are living below the poverty
line such as small farmers, agricultural laborers including the rural
artisans.
• Based on concept that no development i.e. sectorial or territorial
can be obtained without the integration of more than one
component.
• It is a multilevel and multi-sector approach of development.

3. The concept of Integrated Rural Development Model could be
understood clearly by looking into the meaning of component
concepts like 'Integration’, ‘Rural’ , ‘Development’ and ‘model’.
• Integrated : It focuses promotive combination of more than
one component to improve what is needed to be. A poor
village needs help with many aspects of life and all of these
are interrelated. Complex problems need complex solutions.
• Rural : Those areas devoid of the requirements not fulfilled to
sustain quality of life and the needs are in general greater
than in the cities.
• Development : Process of building local capacities,
knowledge and infrastructure that helps communities reach a
permanent improvement in living standards that endures long
after a project or programme has ended.
• Model : Model is a representation, generally in miniature, to
show the construction or appearance of something.

4. History
• The earlier strategies focused more on the growth of individual sectors of the
economy paying no or too little regard to the regional and personal distribution of
the growth effects.. The idea was that the various complementary activities of rural
development required a single administrative framework rather than being
implemented by a variety of separate agencies. IRDP has been designed for the
upliftment of the rural poor. Integrated rural development became an increasingly
important focus of efforts in bilateral and multilateral development assistance
programmes.
• Three different perception contributed to the rise in IRDP approach .They are:
1. even rapid growth of income in rural areas did not assure either the availability or
equitable access to social services and amenities
2. emergence of ‘systems thinking’ about institutional design and programme
implementation.
3. growing disappointment of bureaucratic approaches to rural development.
• 1970- Bicol River Basin Development Program in Philippines
• 1974- Integrated Hill Development Project

5. IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATED RURAL
DEVELOPMENT
• promotes the overall development of rural poor.
• Effective and efficient for rural development.
• Able to identify, analyze and solve rural problems.
• Tool for controlling unemployment and migration
in rural areas.
• Helps in optimum utilization of local resources.
• Act as catalyst to foster meaningful peoples
participation.

6. Integrated Rural Development
Projects of Nepal
• In Nepal IRDPs were generally designed for general rural
development with long term perspective ranging from 15 to 20
years of development programs. The integrated rural development
project appeared very sound in Nepal.
• Generally IRDP are operated under three phases:
1. Infrastructure building and program initiation
2. Intensive implementation and strengthening local institutions
3. Handing over responsibilities to concerned district line agencies
and completion of project
• There are 11 IRDPs which were designed and launched by
various bilateral and multilateral agencies.

7. S.
N
Name of IRDP
and Donor
Initiation
year/Duration
Coverage Objective
1. Integrated Hill
Development
Project (IHDP)
Donor: Swiss bank
Initiation : 1974
Duration : 16 years
Sindupalchowk
and dolakha
i. To assist local
population and local
institution to improve
their living condition.
ii. To establish ecological
balance on sustainable
basis.
2. Rasuwa Nuwakot
IRDP
Donor : World Bank
Initiation : 1976
Duration : 20 years
Rasuwa
Nuwakot
i. To increase productivity
and employment in
agriculture and off farm
activities.
ii. To promote
participation and
institutional
development.
3. Sagarmatha IRDP
Donor :
ADB/IFAD/EEC
Initiation : 1978
Duration :15 years
Udayapur, Siraha,
Saptari
i. To improve the living
condition of people
with sustained growth
of economy of that
area.
ii. To strengthen rural
economy and income
generation. 7

8. 4. Mahakali Hills
IRDP
Donor:
IDA/UNDP
Initiation : 1979
Duration :5 years
Darchula,Baitadi,
Dadeldhura
i. To raise agricultural production
to levels whereby farmers
could meet full family
subsistence.
5. Karnali-Bheri
IRDP
Donor :
Canada
Initiation : 1981
Duration : 20 years
Surkhet, dailekh
Jumla
i. To develop series of integrated
self sustaining development
project in order to contribute
social and economic benefit of
residents.
6. Rapti IRDP
Donor : USA
Initiation : 1980
Duration : 20years
Dang,Pyuthan,
Salyan,Rolpa,
Rukum.
i. To increase quality of life
including income and
production level of incomes.
7. Koshi Hill
Area RDP
Donor : UK
Initiation : 1977
Duration :15 years
Sankhuwasava,Bhojp
ur,Terhathum,
Dhankuta
i. To strengthen local services and
promote balance social and
economic development from
Dharan-Dhankuta road.
8

9. 8. Dhading District
Development
Project Donor :
GTZ/Germany
Initiation : 1983
Duration :15
years
Dhading i. To improve the living
condition of large
section of population
in dhading
ii. To promote off farm
employment
opportunities.
9. Gulmi-
Arghakhanchi
RDP Donor : EEC
Initiation : 1990
Duration
:12years
Gulmi and
Arghakhanchi
i. To improve economic
condition of rural
community on
sustainable basis.
ii. To alleviate poverty.
10. Palpa District
IRDP
Initiation :
1988/89
Palpa i. To improve the living
condition of people of
palpa district.
11. Small Farmers
Development
Project
Initiation : 1975
Duration :
continue
43 districts i. To improve the
income and standard
of living of small
farmers.
ii. To adopt local
delivery mechanism.
9

10. Approaches of IRDP in Nepal
• Tuki System
• System of field assistant
• Integrated Village Development
• Local Private Enterprises
• Confidence building measure
• Irrigation system approach

11. Tuki system
• Tuki system was developed by IHDP to support extension
activities in the Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk districts.
• The concept of Tuki system is that villagers are in darkness
and if provided some lights they can easily find their way
themselves towards development of their way of life.
• The Tuki system differed from other approaches in the
following aspect: Other approaches depended on paid,
professionally trained, external extension workers who
often came from other ethnic groups and had frequently
been transferred from other areas. The Tuki system,
however, focused on assigning extension functions to
locally-rooted, volunteer farmers.

12. System of field assistant
• Rassuwa Nuwakot IRDP Sagarmatha IRDP,
Seti IRDP and Mahakali IRDP have adopted
the concept of field assistant.
• JT and JTA are government employees and are
supposed to delivery inputs and information
in rural areas.
• The overall performance was not found
effective as the agents are outsiders and
people did not trust them much.

13. Integrated village development
approach
• The approach had a unique provision of group
provision at village level .
• These village groups were expected to interact
with district line agencies regarding
development programs.
• This approach was not found to be applied
practically .

14. Local Private enterprise approach
• As the semi government organizations failed
to deliver inputs in time in the first phase of
implementation, this approach was used in
second phase of Rapti IRDP .
• It has emphasized development of local
private enterprises for delivery of inputs.

15. Confidence building approach
• It was an unique approach adopted by
Dhading IRDP for motivating them in small
schemes development.
• Grant of Rs.25000 was provided to all farmers
of every wards and the project was found
quite successful.
• Small projects were found to be completed in
time

16. Irrigation system approach
• Mechi IRDP was based on hill irrigation
system.
• The focus has been on development of
irrigation facilities and it is assumed that it will
contribute substantially to overall
development of district.
• 50 irrigation projects in different districts of
Mechi zone were planned.

17. IRDPs IMPACT EVALUATION
Positive Impacts
i. Infrastructure support for production and
marketing.
ii. Pakhribas Ag. Research Centre funded by koshi
hill IRDP.
iii. Proved useful in promoting investment in rural
areas, particularly for the poorer sections.
iv. Enhanced production capacity at local level
v. Construction of new roads and maintenance of
new roads.
vi. Development of irrigation projects.
17

18. Problems of implementation
• Long delay in disbursement of budgetary fund
• Shortage of technical manpower
• Inadequate field allowances and differential
allowances among staff
• Lack of coordination among different ministries at
national level and among district line agencies at
district level.
• Poor supervision and monitoring.
• Impressive in principle but difficult to put into
operation.

19. REFERENCES
Amatya, S. L. (1989). The divergent approaches of IRDPs and problems of
implementation in Nepal. Contribution to Nepalese Studies, 16(1), 43-54.
Subedi, M. S. (2005). Foreign aid, sustainable development and Rapti
IRDP.
Dreze, J. (1990). Poverty in India and the IRDP Delusion. Economic and
Political Weekly, A95-A104.
Ruttan, V. W. (1975). Integrated rural development programs: a skeptical
perspective. International Development Review, 17(4), 9.
Shortall, S., & Shucksmith, M. (1998). Integrated rural development:
issues arising from the Scottish experience. European Planning
Studies, 6(1), 73-88.
Pradhan, B. B. (1985). Integrated rural development projects in Nepal-a
review.

20. THANK YOU