An Investigation of the Rice Processing Village Programme

Abstract

The Rice Processing Village programme (RPV) was introduced by the Institute of Post Harvest Technology in which farmers produce and sell value added products instead of paddy. It is an income generating and livelihood development programme that provides economic benefits for the rural people. The paper aims to determine the success of the RPV programme in the formation of five capital resources: physical, financial, human, social and natural. Fifty members from six RPVs in Anuradhapura district were randomly selected for the survey. Data were collected through a field survey using a questionnaire, key informant interviews and secondary data sources. The study revealed that the members have developed the human, social, physical and financial resources and used the natural capital effectively to generate an average additional monthly income of Rs.17, 530 per family. Therefore, RPV is an economically beneficial and socially acceptable livelihood development programme for rice producing rural communities in Anuradhapura district.Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 24(1): 91-98(2012)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tar.v24i1.7992

Keywords

• capital sources
• income generation
• livelihood development
• rice processing village
• rural community