Participation and Indigenous Knowledge in Rural Development

Abstract

Much has been written about the role of "participation " in rural development (e g , Uphoff & Esman, 1974; Cohen & Uphoff, 1977; Creighton, 1981, Esman & Uphoff, 1984; Salmen, 1987). Some writers have focused on program design, others on program planning and implementation, and still others on evaluation, but all acknowledge the value of a broadly participatory development strategy in intervention programs There has been little empirical work, and even less agreement, on what constitutes 'participation " in the development enterprise; nonetheless, most practitioners believe that indigenous knowledge is crucial to the success of most such enterprises This article examines the relationship between participation and indigenous knowledge and the role of the latter in rural development.