Organic and Service Delivery Orientations of Rural Community Development in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, Nigeria

Abstract

Rural community development is a function of both organic and service delivery. The paper demonstrates the inter-linkages of combined involvement of local and external actors in target community project decisions, psycho-cultural milieu, partnership/service delivery in localities and rural community development explicitly. The neo-endogenous model is the theoretical framework. The study adopted mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches of survey research design. It drew supportive evidences from 672 respondents selected through the multi-stage sampling procedure. Analyses reveal that incorporating local knowledge into external actors/agencies decisions creates balanced social and economic local development.A comprehensive plan for improving local condition must integrate both tangible and less tangible orientations of community development. Rural community development is necessarily a synthesis of local enthusiasm, community norms, emotion, values, beliefs, perceptions and service delivery, information dissemination and discrete initiatives.