Editor's Notes
| Published date | 01 April 1970 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1970.tb00707.x |
| Date | 01 April 1970 |
Editor's Notes
WHILE
large-scale rural development schemes are inevitably those that
generally catch the public eye, throughout the
Third
World many millions
of farmers subsist on smallholdings and only rarely do a few find the means
of achieving an economic break through to relative prosperity. In this
Number we break new ground in publishing an account of the small, reason-
ably successful market gardening enterprise at Aranjuez in Trinidad. Andrew
Macmillan draws attention to the deficiencies in the existing technical
assistance provided to the farmers and to the out-dated paternalism of local
advisers. He stresses that
"the
effectiveness of an extension service is closely
related to the length of time in which its officers serve in one locality" and
points out that where government agencies are suspected of being politically
motivated, their effectiveness will be severelylimited.
The
solution suggested
is that technical assistance might best be handled objectively by a non-
governmental institution such as a University.
The
conclusions drawn are
relevant to many lands far beyond Trinidad. On a broader front Robert
Miller describes how the district development committees function in
Malawi and their very useful role in promoting rural development.
We intend to publish a series
of
articles dealing with land administration
in different parts of the world.
The
first to appear is by J. B. Twomey in
the form of a comparative study of the land tenure systems of the British
Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides and Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
We also include two articles on local government. Professor Rezazadeh
describes the local administration of Colombia where municipalities enjoy a
special status as
"an
entity
of
natural origin" whose "existence pre-dates
that of the State", both defactoand dejure.Attention is drawn to the anomaly
of
mayors appointed by government and often strangers to their munici-
palities, and to the lack of competent administrators at local level. Dr. James
and Muralidhar Rao examine that controversial figure, the Mayor in India;
many readers will find most convincing the argument adduced for an
im-
partial presiding officer harmonizing both with his elected colleagues and
with the officers of his Corporation, as infinitely preferable to the executive
Mayor whose existence the authors would regard as an unnecessary indulgence
in the contemporary craze for power.
B
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