Abstract:

Some scholars argue that education and training need to be placed at the forefront of the rural development in order to build the human capacity needed for rural development. Education is realized to be a mean of enhancing human capacity. Consequently, there is a great demand for education in rural areas. E-Learning has the potential to bridge the educational gaps and improve the lives of millions of people in the developing world. E-Learning is a major growth area and is very important in a rural context. The methodology of this paper is descriptive-analytical and its main purpose is to outline the benefits and challenges associated with implementing E-Learning in rural communities and explain the major trends in E-Learning in agriculture. It describes the major developments and uses of E-Learning in the field of agriculture. A model for implementing E-Learning in rural areas is presented. This model includes four key components–pedagogy, technology, applications, and benchmarking /continuous monitoring. As a result of the research presented in this paper, it is recommended that local people are empowered to lead in this process so that ownership is inculcated within the community, ultimately.

Keywords:

e-learning, rural development.