Rural sociology is the systematic study of rural society, social relationships, institutions, groups, culture, economy and processes of social change in villages and rural communities. Since rural society is complex and influenced by economic, social, cultural, political and ecological factors, sociologists have developed different approaches to understand it. Each approach highlights a particular dimension of rural life. The community approach studies the village as a social community. It focuses on social relationships, customs, traditions, cooperation, kinship, caste, religion and local institutions. The village is considered a relatively integrated social unit in which people interact regularly and share common resources and cultural practices. This approach helps in understanding the structure and functioning of rural communities. The structural-functional approach examines different institutions and their functions within rural society. Institutions such as family, caste, religion, panchayat, education and economy perform specific functions and contribute to social stability. For example, the family provides socialisation, while the Panchayati Raj institution performs administrative and political functions. This approach is useful for understanding how different parts of rural society are interconnected. The economic approach studies rural society mainly through its economic organisation and relations of production. It examines land ownership, tenancy, agricultural labour, indebtedness, rural poverty, unemployment, agricultural technology and markets. It also