PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 6 Community participation in small and big villages

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 6 Community participation in small and big villages Dr N. Narayanasamy and M.P. Boraian Community participation and formulating action plans realisable during a certain time span. In the whole exercise, Community participation is considered to be local people constitute the actors as well as the the acid test for the success of any rural audience, and the outsiders serve merely as development programme, sponsored either by observers and at times facilitators, but seldom the government or non-government as intervenors or interruptors. organisations. The success or failure of several rural development projects is directly linked to Diverse villages active or lack of community participation, as making the community take part in the Villages, as a whole, vary in terms of their development process is not merely considered content and character, with plenty of structural as a means but as an end in itself. and functional diversities across regions or Conceptually, it refers to the process by which even within a particular region. There are the people involve themselves in analysing the small and big, homogenous and local situation, identifying major problems, heterogeneous, progressive and poor, formulating action plans, mobilising locally cooperative and conflicting, educated and ...