Abstract:
Even though, there were many programmes for poverty alleviation in Sri Lanka, rural areas are still undergoing various socio-economic and environmental challenges along with deprivation and marginalization in development process. However, most of these rural areas that suffers from poverty are abundant with natural and socio-cultural resources.
Therefore, it is inevitable to investigate the role of prolonged poverty
alleviation programmes and social welfare policies on countryside
capitalization and community empowerment. Inductive empirical
investigations through explorative research design of case studies of
selected three villages; Ihalagalagama, Mudaliwatta, and Rideegama
enables the study to unveil multiple truths from the socially constructed
world. Focus group discussion, in-depth interview of key informants
through snowball sampling, direct observations and artefacts in three
villages were used in arriving at the conclusions. The findings of the
study indicate that, these villages are full of priceless diverse socio-
cultural and environmental capital, which were not at all taped by the
poverty alleviation programmes. Sustainable capitalization of human
and natural geographical resources through poverty alleviation will be
inevitable for community empowerment, which is the primary intention
of poverty alleviation programmes. This intensifies redefining and
redesigning of poverty alleviation and socio-economic welfare policies
to stimulate the countryside capitalization and community
empowerment.
