Although there have been considerable efforts on the part of the state to implement programmes and policies that enhance the lives of rural communities, these have largely failed. Perhaps the most blatant indication of this failure is the severe inequality between rural and urban dwellers that potentially drives urbanisation.
A variety of considerable challenges face communities in rural areas. Perhaps one of the most pronounced issues is alarming levels of tenure insecurity in relation to farmworkers and communities living in more remote rural areas. Another challenge prevalent in the rural context is high levels of abject poverty, with communities remaining un-serviced.
There is a distinct gap in the provision of public interest legal services in rural areas. Despite a variety of impediments that prevent rural communities from accessing public interest legal service, organisations such as the Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD) and ProBono.org have worked to mobilise the resources of small town legal practices to do more pro bono work.