Rural development participation: concepts and measures for project design, implementation and evaluation.

Abstract

Ideas on rural development participation developed by a working group of the Office of Rural Development of the US Agency for International Development are presented. Participation is 1st defined as including people in decision-making processes about interventions and their involvement in program implementation evaluation and benefits. Context and measurement of participation are also discussed. The question of who is to participate (e.g. local leaders; participant characteristics) is next examined followed by the of participation: impetus and incentives; form; extent; and effectiveness expressed in terms of degree of power. Project characteristics and the task environment affect participation through factors such as technological complexity distribution of benefits political and cultural factors. Efforts to develop indicators and measures of rural development participation are reviewed. The next chapters examine the Chilalo Agricultural Development Unit (CADU) in Ethiopia giving background and discussing participation in the decision-making for CADU programs (patterns types and limitations); participation in CADU implementation (e.g. resource contributions enlistment in programs); and the material social and personal benefits accruing from the program. CADU attempted to address some of the few harmful consequences of the development program e.g. tenant eviction because of mechanization increase in tenant rents and land costs and the granting of government land to outsiders. Participation in evaluation of CADU programs is reviewd in terms of evaluation types (e.g. project-centered political activity public opinion) how it occured and interactions between different types.