The strategies of rural development have benefited rural people by creating employment, income generating activities to reduce dependence on non-income activities, and discouraging rural-urban migration. However, these strategies also face problems including a lack of basic skills and education among rural dwellers, insufficient supervision of projects, inadequate research contributing to project failures, and corruption in implementing the strategies. Natural hazards and a lack of foreign sponsors or donors can also disrupt rural development strategies.

1. 
The strategies of rural development have benefited and
continue to benefit a large number of rural people. These
benefits include:
 creating employment opportunities for the rural poor
 creating income generating activities which gradually
reduce dependence on activities which do not create
income
 discouraging or reducing rural-urban migration
 self-sufficiency in food production
 development of rural areas
 fairly balanced developments between rural and urban
areas.
Benefits

2. These strategies are also not without problems or difficulties and these include:
 lack of basic skills by rural dwellers
 illiteracy contributes to failure of schemes and projects
 lack of supervision by credit agents
 lack of time - there is always hurry and pressure for quick results which results in
failure of projects
 lack of adequate research which contributes to failure of many projects
 natural hazards like human and livestock diseases as well as climatic conditions like
drought and floods can also disorganise these strategies
 lack of foreign sponsors (donors) which may be due to unstable political situations as
is the case in Zimbabwe
 corruption - there is a lot of corruption involved in implementing these strategies
 lack of banking systems in our rural areas shortage of land lack of water and other
crucial resources.
Problems and difficulties