Approaches to participation in rural development
Oakley, Peter
Approaches to participation in rural development - Geneva International Labour Office 1989 - 12903
The term 'people's participation has become a familiar one in the vocabulary of development, but so far there is no real agreement on its exact meaning, or on the way in which it should be promoted. In this monograph on participation in rural areas, which is being published on behalf of the ACC Task Force on Rural Development, the authors maintain that the sources of these alternative interpretations of the term lie in fundamental differences in perception of the development process. They contrast two broad interpretations of participation: under the first, outsiders "mobilise" the people to take part in activities which are determined from the outside; under the second, participation is regarded as empowering the poorer sections of the people to take independent, collective action in order to overcome their poverty and to improve their-social status.
The dimensions of "empowering" are naturally imprecise They can be illustrated, but not predicted. As examples of the practice of participation, the authors cite the Small Farmers Development Programme in Nepal, rural health programmes in a number of countries, a militant popular movement of tribals in India, an animateur's work with fisherwomen in Brazil, and the socialist reconstruction programme of rural Ethiopia. After reviewing these experiences, they go on to outline some of the elements of a more complete analysis of the theory and practice of the participatory approach to rural development
Approaches to participation in rural development - Geneva International Labour Office 1989 - 12903
The term 'people's participation has become a familiar one in the vocabulary of development, but so far there is no real agreement on its exact meaning, or on the way in which it should be promoted. In this monograph on participation in rural areas, which is being published on behalf of the ACC Task Force on Rural Development, the authors maintain that the sources of these alternative interpretations of the term lie in fundamental differences in perception of the development process. They contrast two broad interpretations of participation: under the first, outsiders "mobilise" the people to take part in activities which are determined from the outside; under the second, participation is regarded as empowering the poorer sections of the people to take independent, collective action in order to overcome their poverty and to improve their-social status.
The dimensions of "empowering" are naturally imprecise They can be illustrated, but not predicted. As examples of the practice of participation, the authors cite the Small Farmers Development Programme in Nepal, rural health programmes in a number of countries, a militant popular movement of tribals in India, an animateur's work with fisherwomen in Brazil, and the socialist reconstruction programme of rural Ethiopia. After reviewing these experiences, they go on to outline some of the elements of a more complete analysis of the theory and practice of the participatory approach to rural development