Rural Entrepreneurship

While researching over the topic I found “Entrepreneurs” are people who create and grow enterprises and “Entrepreneurship” is the process through which entrepreneurs create and grow enterprises. I guess the definition above suits best for a management class or the government files. Personally I feel, “Entrepreneurs” are people who have the passion and zeal to bring a qualitive change in the society through their mind boggling ideas.  And, “Entrepreneurship” is a process or more of a pathway which they take to fulfill their dreams. 

More than half of the Indian populace live in villages. Indian villages have a huge hidden potential in the fields of traditional arts and crafts, food industry and the like. Most of the rural households are involved in some or the other kind of agricultural service provider units. India's rural economy is primarily agricultural based, but the rapid rise in its population with consequent pressure on land has led the planners to lay greater emphasis on industrial development.

Rural Entrepreneurship may focus on areas like food processing which may include variety of products from various sectors comprising agriculture, horticulture, plantation, animal husbandry and fisheries & marine products. Another area which may be looked into is fruit based beverages. Products like syrups and squashes of orange, mango, lime, pineapple, grape, apple, etc. besides their jam and jelly are very popular among the masses. 

The best example of a rural entrepreneurship may include that of an Oil industry. Crushing of oil seeds to obtain edible oil for human consumption has been an age-old village industry in India.  Another example of rural entrepreneurship may include the pottery, which is traditional industry of rural India, providing employment to many artisans. 

But, one question might be creeping in your mind. That is, what good rural entrepreneurs are doing for the development of our country India? For answering this question we must first understood that there is a huge difference in the standard of life between the two India, let us call them with two different names to make the demarcation easy. The urban, which is more developed, can be called in as the India and its rural counterpart which needs an urgent development can be called as Bharat. So, rural entrepreneurs are doing their bit in order to fill the divide between the India and the Bharat.

Policies like micro-finance are filling the empty pockets of villagers to start-up their own small scale businesses besides giving them a financial security. Rural Entrepreneurship has the power of making rural populace self sufficient which may help in reducing migration of people from villages to cities, thus reducing congestion of resources in cities and towns. 


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