Last Updated on November 26, 2023 by Team TSW

Scope of community organization is vast. The organizer can practice the method in a scores of areas. Organizer can develop expertise in a certain field or choose the one which he is comfortable in. Settings of community organization are classified based on multiple dimensions such as geographical location and type of administration.

Classification of community organization settings

Classification on the basis of Geographical Location

One way to classify settings of community organization is geographical locations. People living in different geographical locations have different problems and solutions to their problems are also not the same. Let’s discuss the type of settings based upon location, their problems and solutions.

Rural Setting

Rural and urban area classification is a multidimensional concept. Main points which separate Rural from urban are population density, geographic isolation and the kind of economic activities they are involved in. 

Definitions of rural area

Some of the prominent definitions of Rural areas are:-

☰     According to Indian Government

The “rural sector” means any place as per the “latest census” which meets the following criteria:-

1. A population of less than 5,000.
2. Density of population less than 400 per sq km and
3. More than “25 percent of the male working population” is engaged in agricultural pursuits.

☰     According to Economic Research Service, USA

“Rural areas consist of open countryside with population densities less than 500 people per square mile and places with fewer than 2,500 people.”

From above definitions it’s clear that rural area is:

• Outside the town and cities.
• Total population of the area remains low. 
• Population density of the area is also on the lower side.
• Maximum residents of the area are involved in the primary sector of economy such as agriculture, animal husbandry etc.

Problems of Rural areas

Now we are aware of what a rural area is. Let’s discuss some of the major problems of rural area:-

Lack Of Education Facilities.

Rural areas have no or very limited education facilities. People often have to send their children very far from their home for education purposes. In the absence of education facilities, the dropout rate in rural areas is very high. Very famous proverb about education is “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people”

Not Enough Civic Amenities. 

People in rural areas often found it difficult to meet even the very basic needs. Needs which are so essential that without which living a human life is not possible. Authorities fail to provide basic amenities such as: 

• Electricity, 
• Drinking Water, 
• Sanitation, 
• Communication

Lack of infrastructure. 

People in rural areas often don’t have metalled roads. In the absence of an all weather connecting road they found it tough to transport their agriculture output to market. In rainy seasons, perishable products fail to reach the market and farmers have to bear the huge loss. 

Economical Issues.

Most of the people of rural areas are involved in agricultural and allied activities. Agriculture is already not a very profitable economic activity and often farmers have to suffer huge losses due to weather, market conditions, and government policies. 

Social Issues. 

In the absence of proper education facilities, basic amenities, and infrastructure, rural areas suffer from a range of social issues like: 

• Poverty, 
• Unemployment, 
• Unequal opportunity,
• over-population
• Racism/Casteism, 
• Crime, 
• Alcoholism, and 
• Malnutrition.

Health Care Facilities

In the remote rural areas people find it difficult to get even first aid. Health care infrastructure is very weak in rural areas and people have to travel to nearby urban areas. Without all weather roads, lack of communication facilities things become more difficult.

Faulty Administration.

Administration is responsible for providing the basic facilities to people. Residents of rural areas depend heavily on government infrastructure as private investment in rural areas remains zero or meager. All the above discussed problems are results of faulty administration.

Urban Setting 

Big cities with high population density, people involved in a variety of economic activities. People in city areas are wealthier than residents of rural areas. Based on population size urban areas are further classified as municipalities, metropolitan cities and mega cities.

Definition of urban areas

Points which identify itself as urban area are:

• Big towns and cities.
• Total population of the area remains high. 
• Population density of the area is also on the higher side.
• Maximum residents of the area are involved in sectors other than the primary sector of economy such as agriculture, animal husbandry etc.
• Not classified as a rural area.

Problems of urban areas

Following are the major urban area problems:-

Slums

Unplanned development and growth of urban areas give birth to the biggest problem of urban areas. People in search of better life and employment come to the urban areas. With no or little money they fail to get a decent place to live and start living in the outskirts of big cities. As the time passes they build themselves a mud house. As the area was not planned and not built by the authorities, the area lacks basic facilities like drainage, drinking water, tap water and electricity. These unplanned areas are called slums. 

Overpopulation 

People in search of a better life move to big urban areas. As more and more people keep on migrating, the infrastructure of the city becomes inadequate to rising demands. 

Housing

As more people reach urban areas, affordable housing becomes a distant dream. Crowding disturbs the balance of demand and supply. With more demand and less supply of houses, property becomes costly.  

Traffic

Due to the crowding, Infrastructure of the city suddenly becomes inadequate. Public transport like buses, metro, local trains are not enough to cater rising demand. More people with personal vehicles also choke the road network of the city. Traffic becomes a major problem. 

Environmental Hazard 

Increased public and private transport increases pollution. Air quality becomes toxic. Land water turns mother of many infectious diseases. Deforestation to cater the tsunami of migrants only intensifies the problem of pollution. Industries not only pollute air but water as well. Degraded quality of air and water gives birth to many diseases.

Public Education

These big cities are home to many world class institutions. Number of seats in these public educational institutions are limited and it can’t simply accommodate all. To fill the gap, many private institutions cropped up. These institutions become tools to financially exploit people and also quality of education remains below par.

Crime

Urban areas with problems of slums, unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, lack of public education become home of criminals. To meet their daily needs people start to indulge in corrupt practices. Chain snatching, cyber crime, ransom and other financial frauds become common.

Tribal Setting

A tribe is a group of people who live and work together in a certain geographical area. A tribe has a common culture, dialect, and religion.

Tribal area definitions

Along with the characteristics of rural areas, if the geographical location is occupied by tribals, it is called the tribal area. Following are the characteristics of tribal areas:-

• Outside the town and cities.
• Total population of the area remains low. 
• Population density of the area is also on the lower side.
• Maximum residents of the area are involved in the primary sector of economy such as agriculture, animal husbandry etc.
• Almost all the people are from the same tribe having a common culture.

Problems of tribal areas

Exploitation

Tribal is one community who stays in forest areas away from city life. As the demand for natural resources rose, exploitation of tribals started. Industrialists with the help from the government took away their home involuntarily. Many countries saw the wave of protest against the forced eviction and that too without proper displacement. 

Poverty

Tribals are nature lovers and in no way harm forests. They are not into the economic activities where returns are huge. As long as they were in the forest they had no problems as they were able to meet their basic needs. After their displacement from forests they started to find it hard to meet both ends. They fell prey to moneylenders and that further intensified their situation economically. 

Economic and Technological backwardness

After the acquisition of forests and natural resources industrialists provided tribal jobs at construction sites, such as mines and quarries, but later the influx of immigrant laborers disturbed their life. Tribals still work as labor in mines or in agricultural fields. Also,Their traditional occupations (snake charming, street acrobatics with animals) are now illegal and alternative livelihood options have not been provided. Technology advancements have still not reached the tribal belt. 

Problems of assimilation with the non-tribal population.

There are some tribes which are still hostile to outsiders. Many tribes are declining in numbers due to the entry of outsiders. The Jarawa community is one such tribe. Not just their population but their unique cultural features and their habitat are also threatened because of outsiders.

Classification on sector basis 

On the basis of sector, settings of community organization can be classified as institutional/organized and non-institutional/unorganized settings.

Institutional or Organized setting

Institutional setting means an organization, for example a university, bank. This is an organized sector where people are attached to a single organization. It’s easier to bring people together for any common purpose.

Problems of organized sector

1. Governments all over the world have set the minimum wages. Still there are many laborers who don’t get even the set minimum. 
2. Equal pay for equal work is not practiced and women often get less than their male counterpart.
3. Exploitation of women workers in the name of job security, leaves, promotions and other legitimate dues is very common.
4. Not all the activities of organized sectors are registered with the government. Industrialists register one part of the business and other parts remain under wraps. These unregistered businesses become sources of worker exploitation.
5. Welfare schemes are not implemented in spirit. At many organizations, as soon as they get the pregnancy information of a female worker, they start looking for reasons to fire her. All this to escape from the maternity leave welfare scheme.
6. Industries are supposed to pay for overtime but the same is not practiced seriously.

Non-institutional or Unorganized setting

In the case of non-institutional, there is no structured pattern and hence it may be difficult to bring them together for common purpose.

Problems of unorganized sector

1. Low wages.
2. Worker exploitation remains very high. There is no provision for overtime, paid leave, holidays, leave due to sickness etc. 
3. Very high degree of job insecurity. Workers can be fired without any notices. 
4. Unorganized sectors are not registered and it largely remains outside the control of the government.
5. Child labor is banned by the government but as they are not registered, cheap labor in the form of children remains high.
6. This sector also employs inhumane bonded labor practice to improve output..
7. Work hours are not fixed.
8. Welfare schemes like maternity leaves, Pensions etc. are not available.

Models to solve community problems

The three models of community organization are locality development, social planning and social action. 

Locality Development

In the locality development model the people come together to discuss and decide about the improvement of an affected area, or locality. Broader participation at the local level is must determining the goals and further action. 

Social Planning

In the social planning model the people come together and gather pertinent facts about the problems, then decide on a rational and feasible course of action. It is a technical process of solving social problems. Arranging and delivering goods and services to people who need them. Only Interested group members participate. Broader participation is not necessary. 

Social Action

Social action model brings the people to destroy the oppressors. Basic changes in social situations are brought about by organizing the affected segment of the population so that they make demands on the larger community for increased resources or better treatment in accordance with social justice and democracy and redistribution of power, resources and decision-making. 

Read more about Social Action in detail.

Conclusion

The community organizer has to see, observe and understand all the settings and the models before responding or making the people respond to the situation.