Presents the argument that citizen participation in planning affairs transcends a rights-based legitimacy and an all too frequent perception of being mere consultation
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods, now known as Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), have been extensively used in development research, action and evaluation. This book is based on the author’s decade-long intensive field experience—each method is explained by drawing on field-based illustrations. The book vividly describes the methods of PRA, highlighting the essential features as well as the application, merits and limitations of each method. Participatory Rural Appraisal: Principles, Methods and Application outlines the application of PRA methodology in areas like participatory poverty assessment, sustainable livelihood analysis, assessment of hunger, vulnerability analysis, organizational analysis, monitoring and evaluation. Separate sections on SWOT analysis and on the method of interview and dialogue are also included in the book. Besides, the author has provided guidelines for sector-wise application of PRA, which would serve as a ready reference for students and practitioners alike. A chapter on the roles of members of a PRA team is another key feature of this book, which would be immensely valuable for students, researchers and academicians working in the areas of social work, rural development, agriculture, and environmental science, and also for NGO workers and trainers and researchers in the development field.
This book meets the needs of teachers and students of agriculture and rural development project and programme planning, planners employed by governments in developing countries and by external financing agencies. Project planners must understand the aspirations of rural families and their local leaders, the national development and sector planning goals and policies of their governments and the development goals and policy priorities perceived by external financing agencies in relation to their countries. These areas are not always consistent and trade-offs may be required. However it is recognised that poor project planning is a major constraint to the sustainable realization of project and programme objectives and sector goals. Illustrated with case studies and logical framework matrices, this book presents well-established and relatively new practices followed in the context of agriculture and rural development project and programme planning. Although based on experiences gained in Africa, the issues described are relevant to planning problems encountered in other developing regions of the world. It addresses the main factors which affect the success of planning such as a government's ability to guarantee macro-economic stability and sound sector development policies; the shift from 'top-down', bureaucratic to 'bottom-up', participatory planning approaches and the roles played by external financing agencies. It explains key technical, financial, economic, environmental, socio-cultural, equity, gender and institutional-strengthening issues concerning planning in rural areas and reviews the planning tools and approaches available. The procurement of goods and services, the disbursement of funds and monitoring and evaluation requirements are examined in detail.
Contributed articles presented at two seminars on regional planning and participatory rural development predominantly on West Bengal held at Dept. of Economics with Rural Development, Vidyasagar University.
Relationships between social policy and human development are the subject of much research and theorizing. The literature in this area, however, examines these issues strictly within national contexts. What influence will international agendas such as NAFTA, the World Summit for Social Development, and Habitat II have? Transnational Social Policies specifically addresses the worldwide trend for national policies on human and social development to be increasingly influenced by agendas that are international, or "transnational," in nature. In doing so, the book examines the underlying international developmental, ethical, economic, and political issues shaping national policies in health, education, and employment in the developing world. This book's focus on the "transnational" character of the social policy debate makes it a truly unique and original contribution to the literature. It will appeal to the academic community, worldwide, in international development, public policy and administration, and social work; policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in the field of public (social) policy; and the international community of individuals and organizations working in international social development.
Scientific Study from the year 2018 in the subject Nature Protection, Landscape Conservation, University of Buea (Geography), language: English, abstract: This report presents the outcome of a ten-day mission carried out in 2009 with the goal to prepare a development plan for Ediki-Bekoli Village. The researchers conducted an ethnographic-type research with the aim being to guide and facilitate a community-led development planning process for the village from which this Village Development Plan (VDP) was born. Upon arrival in the village, the researchers were hosted by the village chief who convened a meeting with his councilors to discuss the purpose of the expedition, and from there, work kicked off. This VDP document was therefore prepared based on the approach to development planning which focuses on the principles of promoting sustainable livelihoods and self-reliant bottom-up development. A manual including different participatory learning tools and methods prepared by the capacity building component of Rumpi Project was used throughout the step by step planning process as well as improvisations adapted from other community development experiences around the world. The specific objective is to assist the community better their livelihoods and find solutions that will increase the income of the small-holders within the village thereby contributing to poverty alleviation. Following the initial participatory village assessment (PRA) stage, conducted with the entire community, the following problems were uncovered and prioritized. These problems include low agricultural productivity, lack of formal/informal technical training, poor road infrastructure, exposed water sources/ lack of potable water which engenders all kinds of health issues, and youth unemployment. Based on the above problems the following goals were formulated, followed by the elaboration of micro-projects based on these goals: to improve agricultural productivity; improve community health and well-being; to improve communication and rural infrastructure; to enhance rural capacity through the development of technical skills; institute community financing mechanisms These micro-projects, if implemented, will meet some of the developmental needs and aspirations of Ediki-Bekoli as perceived by the community itself, leading to the alleviation of poverty.
Despite the recent economic upswing in many Latin American countries, rural poverty rates in the region have actually increased during the past two decades. Experts blame excessively centralized public administrations for the lackluster performance of public policy initiatives. In response, decentralization reformshave become a common government strategy for improving public sector performance in rural areas. The effect of these reforms is a topic of considerable debate among government officials, policy scholars, and citizensÕ groups. This book offers a systematic analysis of how local governments and farmer groups in Latin America are actually faring today. Based on interviews with more than 1,200 mayors, local officials, and farmers in 390 municipal territories in four Latin American nations, the authors analyze the ways in which different forms of decentralization affect the governance arrangements for rural development Òon the ground.Ó Their comparative analysis suggests that rural development outcomes are systemically linked to locally negotiated institutional arrangementsÑformal and informalÑbetween government officials, NGOs, and farmer groups that operate in the local sphere. They find that local-government actors contribute to public services that better assist the rural poor when local actors cooperate to develop their own institutional arrangements for participatory planning, horizontal learning, and the joint production of services. This study brings substantive data and empirical analysis to a discussion that has, until now, more often depended on qualitative research in isolated cases. With more than 60 percent of Latin AmericaÕs rural population living in poverty, the results are both timely and crucial.
Provides a wealth of practical tools and methods for our field workers who work with local communities in developing collaborative management of forests. While the manual focuses on participatory techniques for community forests in Nepal, many of the techniques can be readily applied to other forms of collaborative natural resource management.
This book provides an international perspective on rural planning, focused on developing countries. It examines conventional development planning and innovative local planning approaches, drawing together lessons from recent experience of rural planning and land use. The authors examine past and current practice and ways that land use planning and management of natural resources can underpin sustainable local livelihoods. They draw on case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America to present findings relevant throughout the developing world.