IRMA aims to contribute to the professional management of rural organisations. Founded in 1979 as an initiative of the Indian National Dairy Development Board, it continues to work closely with co-operatives, NGOs, governments, and national and international agencies. It runs post-graduate, doctoral level, and in-service management development programmes in rural management for professionals in the co-operative sector and development organisations.
IRMA also conducts research and does consultancy work with the aim of improving management of rural organisations and programmes and influencing public policy to create an environment conducive to the effective and efficient functioning of rural organisations. Its research activity is divided into two streams:
- mainstream management research, often in the form of case studies and organisational consultations, where the focus is on understanding managerial operational problems faced by rural organizations in order to evolve feasible solutions
- wider issues of socio-economic development of rural people, especially the rural poor, and the analysis of various interventions being made to bring about rural transformation.
The Institute’s publications include research papers, case studies, workshop reports, working papers, monographs, occasional papers, and theme papers from a research symposium. Some of these are available to download from the site.