Uganda has the unfortunate title of being one of the nations on the United Nations list of least developed countries and its inclusion on the list is due to a host of interconnected reasons. This landlocked East African country was colonized by the British in the late 1800s until its independence in 1962 (World Bank, 2014). Since gaining freedom from British rule, the Republic of Uganda has been in the midst of a number of intermittent conflicts which have proven to be major obstacles to its development. More recently, a civil war broke out with the Lord's Resistance Army, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of more than a million residents (World Bank, 2014). Political violence, combined with poor infrastructure, low food security and major health problems such as HIV/AIDS, has made Uganda one of the poorest countries in the world. This worrying economic situation is represented by the fact that almost 40% of the Ugandan population lives on a daily allowance of less than $1.25 (World Bank, 2014). Looking at the many major development challenges that Uganda has faced over the past decades since independence, there is one in particular that stands out among the rest: rural poverty. The Ugandan government has made great progress in reducing poverty across the country. , with the national poverty rate falling from 56% of the population in 1992 to just 24.5% in 2009 (World Bank, 2014). The reduction in poverty is mainly noticeable in urban areas, while more rural areas remain deeply entrenched in poverty (Ellis, 2003). This is a major concern for the development of the nation, since 84% of the population lives in these rural areas (World Bank, 2014). Read more...... middle of document ......Furthermore, in addition to their many other tasks, rural Ugandan women have the responsibility of ensuring that their families are well-fed and caring for sick and elderly people. (Okidi & Mugambe, 2002). Among all the problems weighing on the development of this African nation, rural poverty is certainly one of the most important, if not the most daunting, tasks to overcome. There are many reasons why rural poverty has become such a huge dilemma, and they are outlined above. Uganda has made considerable progress compared to other African countries in similar situations, but it still has a long way to go if it is to sustain its growth and integrate rural regions into its economic plans. In conclusion, Ugandan rural poverty is a problem that affects many levels of Ugandan society and must be addressed if the country is to prosper in the years to come...