Golden harvest: Qualified rural managers are in short supply

If you want to work in a challenging field and are willing to take risks then rural management is the job for you. ?Right now, the stress is on developing technologies for the rural areas?, says Prof. Krithi Ramamritham of IIT Powai, Mumbai. And this is where rural managers come in. This programme trains students to be rural facilitators in a process where villagers also participate. Hence, it is just the right career for those who wish to undertake challenging managerial responsibilities in the rural and co-operative sectors. The present turnout of rural managers falls far short of the industry demand. Hence, the employment opportunities presented by this booming industry is tremendous.

What do I have to do?

The course prepares you to manage projects, implement development programmes and provide consultancy services to rural organisations in the co-operative sector.

You also get to oversee fields as diverse as marketing, finance, systems, project implementation, purchases and human resource development in all segments of the rural enterprises.

One is also expected to visit rural farmlands for making assessments and providing advice.

The course grooms young students to become competent managers who then go on to become rural managers and agri-business organisational leaders.

Some of their responsibilities include primary healthcare, maternity and childcare, primary education, secondary education, adult literacy, safe drinking water, maintaining individual sanitary latrines, waste management and livelihood management.

Various development projects and multidisciplinary programmes are being implemented in different parts of the country and these include livestock development, watershed development, tribal development, women?s health and empowerment, among other related issues.

This job essentially involves performing a wide variety of functions to facilitate a better rural life.

What should I study?

You need to be a graduate in any stream, preferably in economics, sociology, agricultural science, agricultural engineering or management. The Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), encourages employees of co-operatives, NGOs, voluntary agencies to apply for admission with sponsorship from their employers.

In this course, students get exposure to the context and the environment in which rural managers have to operate. The evolution, structure and the functioning of rural society and polity in India, processes and problems of change in rural settings with a focus on different regions and the implications for rural managers form the basis of this course.

Students are also taught financial accounting, quantitative techniques, marketing management, management of development projects and co-operatives, information systems management, human resource management, etc.

The course is unique as it blends an understanding of rural environment and business potential along with managerial skills.

What next?

This course has good career prospects owing to the tremendous growth witnessed by agri- based industries.

NGOs, government organisations, private firms, rural institutes, co-operative banks like NABARD as well as financial institutions offer ample job opportunities. MNCs, in sectors like power production and industry, agriculture, rural housing, transportation and telecom, also offer jobs.

You could also be employed in rural enterprises as policy makers, managers, analysts or consultants advising on operational efficiency. Prominent organisations in rural development, like Action for Food Production, Association for Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development and a host of others, recruit actively. A number of them also get absorbed by World Bank-aided projects like the UP Diversified Agricultural Support Programme (UPDASP). Corporate houses are also required to initiate programmes for social development and are thus prospective employers.

where to study

• Institute of Rural Management, Anand
• Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
• Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar
• R.A. Poddar Institute of Management, Jaipur
• Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Vile Parle Mumbai