IRMA was established in 1979 at Anand, Gujarat with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the Government of India, Government of Gujarat, the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The rationale behind its installation had to do with providing management education, training, research and consultancy support to co-operatives and rural development organisations in India.
The genesis of IRMA is owed to Dr. Kurien's work with dairy co-operatives, which revolutionized the dairy industry in the country. It was founded with the belief that the key to effective rural development lies in professional management. Professionalising rural management involves synergising specific yet unmet needs of the rural sector with the formal techniques and skills of management professionals. Linking the two are the ‘rural managers' graduating from IRMA after undergoing a two-year diploma (PRM) programme in rural management.

Born out of a maverick's dream IRMA is, today, at the forefront of professionalising the development of India's rural sector. Over the years it has provided management training, support and research facilities to students committed to rural development drawing, in the process, co-operatives, non-government organisations, government development agencies, international development organisations, and funding agencies towards it.

Institutional Vision

To make continuous and significant contributions to the transformation of rural India through (a) leadership in cutting-edge knowledge creation, (b) innovations in education, (c) pursuance of the ethical imperative of sustainability, and (d) policy-oriented research.

Mission

To promote sustainable, ecologically-friendly, and equitable socio-economic development of rural people through professional management

Objectives

To achieve this mission IRMA has set for itself the following objectives:

1. Creating a new breed of professional rural managers with the appropriate ethos and values;
2. Helping rural organizations and institutions professionalize their management;
3. Empowering rural people through self-sustaining processes;
4. Creating new rural management knowledge and theories through action-oriented and problem-solving research and consultancy
5. Influencing public policies.

Core Values

In pursuit of its mission IRMA will:

• Develop human resources with management knowledge and competencies appropriate for governance and development of resources, enterprises, and institutions meant for rural communities;
• Be transformative in its approach with a focus on sustainability and equity;
• Recognize teaching as an emancipatory and unifying activity;
• Encourage and nurture excellence, creativity, integrity, and commitment;
• Encourage academic freedom and retain a willingness to experiment with new paradigms.

Quality Policy

To pursue the highest standards of excellence and relevance in all their activities namely teaching, research, consulting, and mid-career/ continuing education and to remain transparent and accountable in their core functions through processes of self-evaluation, reflection, and continuous improvement.

Programmes and activities

Programmes and activities of IRMA are described below.

Postgraduate Programme in Rural Management (PRM), launched in 1980, is meant for college graduates who would wish to take on challenging managerial responsibilities in institutions working in the rural sector. The PRM is recognized as equivalent to a Master's degree by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and is also approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). In the last 34 years, 2,300 students have graduated and are working in large number of diverse organizations contributing to rural development.

Doctoral Level Fellow Programme in Rural Management (FPRM), launched in 2002, is meant for post graduates and/ or professional college graduates with three years of work experience, who would wish to pursue doctoral level studies in rural management. The FPRM is approved by the AICTE; application for recognition of equivalence is under consideration at the AIU. So far 22 students have graduated and earned the title of Fellow, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Of them, 18 are holding faculty positions in leading academic institutions in the country.

Management Development Programmes (MDPs) are meant for middle and senior level in-service managers and officers of the union government, state governments, NGOs, and cooperatives working in the area of rural development. IRMA conducts many MDPs on various themes of development and management, ranging in duration from one week to six weeks. So far, IRMA has conducted over 850 MDPs with an enrolment exceeding over 18000 managers and officers.

Research and Consultancy services are a means of enriching the quality and content of teaching and training. This continuous upgrade places us in the enviable position of serving our clientele more efficiently by helping them identify and resolve their critical management problems. The union government, state governments, NGOs, cooperatives, and national and international donor agencies are major clients of IRMA. Over the years, faculty members of IRMA have completed over 700 research and consultancy studies and assignments. In order to boost research portfolio, the Institute set up five Centres of Excellence in 2013.