This paper aims to overview some of the existing literature on social protection mechanisms for the rural poor in the field of old-age protection and health protection as well as their possible effects on poverty reduction. It examines shortcomings and difficulties in the provision of social protection mechanisms for the rural poor as well as possible ways of how to overcome some of these obstacles. In order to examine rural social protection mechanisms, it is indispensible to understand what “rural” is, who the “rural poor” are and consequently which difficulties arise in rural social protection. Therefore, the first section of this paper elaborates on these issues. The second chapter aims to examine dominant rural development schemes in development history. Old-age protection and health protection schemes benefiting the rural poor are presented in the third section. The paper closes with some concluding remarks on social protection of the rural poor.