11 People’s Participation in Extension Program Planning

Dr. Ashok Kumar

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Course Outline

 

  •  Introduction
  •  Learning objectives
  •  Needs, Concept and Importance of People’s Participation
  •  Planning for the People
  •  Planning with the people
  •  Concept of People’s Participation
  •  People’s Participation as a means
  •  People’s participation as an end
  •  Levels of Participation
  •  Degree of participation
  •  Organization of planning committees
  •  Summary

Introduction:

 

In rural development programs, allowing and encouraging people’s participation is an integral part of our philosophy of life, our culture and democratic traditions. It is essential to the success of such programs. The purpose is to create an atmosphere, opportunities and motivation to develop their inherent potentials, whereby they become partners in their future and improve their standard of living. In the final analysis, people’s involvement should lead to a situation wherein ‘people operate and the government co-operates. The logic underlying is that rural people want a better life and that once the superiority of improved practices and ways of doing things is demonstrated, rural people will accept them. It is well known that development cannot be forced upon unresponsive and reluctant people. People’s participation in rural development programs is always likely to raise several problems. The process of decision-making may have to be slow and moderate. But as one rural leader remarked: ‘If democracy cannot afford it, what is the use of it. (Sandhu,1965).

 

Objectives:

  1. The students will be able to understand the needs of the people’s involvement in Program planning.
  2. The students will be able to organize the planning committee for people’s participation in preparing the extension programs.
  3. The students will be able to explain the structural form of the planning committee and its responsibilities in execution of the extension programs.
  4. The students will be able to organize the planning committee for active participation of the local people in extension programs.

Needs, Concept and Importance of people’s Participation:

 

People’s participation may be defined as the process of giving priorities to local people’s perspective in identifying and analyzing their problems and opportunities and improving the situation through their self mobilization. The focus is on the ‘insiders’ i.e. local people’s perspective, rather than on ‘outsiders’ i.e. ‘change agents’, development administrators’ perspective.

 

People’s participation is contrary to ‘I know what they require’ type of bureaucratic approach. Many development interventions have been seen to create a sort of dependence syndrome. With active involvement of the local people, it is possible not only to break the mentality of dependence, but also to increase their awareness, self-confidence and control of the development process.

 

Different people in different contexts use the term people’s participation to connote different things. By, people, it may mean the target population, the beneficiaries, and the men and women, the old and young, the formal and informal leaders, people of different segments and strata of the community, depending upon the mandate of the specific development programs and activities.

 

Participation is central issue in any effort towards directed social change

 

People’s participation in extension, in a broader sense, means the involvement of people in the programs of directed social change, initiated by the development agencies by way of analyzing the situations, deciding on the problems to be tackled, fixing up of priorities, drawing plans of action, taking initiatives in implementing activities of the project as partners through contributing their ideas, materials, resources, labor and time, etc. and finally evaluating the results thus accrued to themselves.

 

If peoples are to become partners in their own future, they have to be actively involved in program planning. This concept has been accepted by extension educators and is being practiced throughout the world. The basic premises underlying the concept of involving people in program planning include:

  1. Involvement of representatives lay people in the planning process will speed up the process of educational change among people.
  2. Involvement of representatives lay people will result in better decisions compared to those made by the professional staff alone.
  3. Involvement of individuals in planning activities is a beneficial learning experience.

Bruner and his associates emphasize the significance of involving people in planning. They had said that there is practically unanimous agreement in all the studies that the maximum involvement of potential and actual constituents in program building produces the best results. However, there are experts who are critical of involving people in program planning activities.

 

Planning for the People:

 

Planning for the people here refers to extension program planning without the active participation of the people for whom it has to be implemenanted. There can be two ways of planning without the involvement of the people or the audience (as we generally call them in extension terminology).

 

First, the program might be planned at the national or state or regional level and passed on through the extension workers to be imposed on the people for execution. Thus, the people are involved at the execution stage only.

 

Second possibility is that the extension agency at the local level, with its technical knowledge and training in extension philosophy and methods, may think that it is able to visualize all rural people and their needs and problems and thus prepare a program for its area. Once the program is chalked out, the main emphasis would be to motivate people to adopt and implement it.

 

In both these types of approaches to planning for the people, many of the people’s needs and interests would be overlooked. We have defined that an extension program is a ‘set of clearly defined, consciously conceived objectives or ends derived from an adequate analysis of a situation which are to be achieved through extension teaching activity.

 

The extension programs conceived about would not weigh with this statement and analysis of a situation is not done and so, the program is not based on a real diagnostic analysis of people’s needs and wants. Whatsoever has been presumed may be just symptomatic treatment, which, all doctors know, gives no relief. The important factors related to the actual situation, opinions and experiences would be neglected. As a result, the interests and belief of the people in program would not be strong enough to motivate them to take the responsibility of execution. In many situations, it tends to manipulate ideas and people to secure the end of a professional elite. Andas we all know, rural development in democratic countries is not a matter only of plans and statistical targets and budgets, technology, methods, materials aids and professional staff or agencies and organizations to administer them. Rather, it is an effective use of these mechanisms as educational means for changing the mind and actions of people in such a ways that they ‘help themselves’, attain economical social improvements.

 

Hence, the process is one of ‘working with people, and not for them; ofhelping people become self reliant, not dependent on others; of making people the central actors in the drama, not stage-hands or spectators’. Furthermore, an extension programs, we lay emphasis on education and not on service and planning for the people would be nothing short of service while planning with people would be nothing but educating them. It is well known that education makes people more self-reliance operation and while service makes them dependent on others.

 

No matter how good a plan is, if the people for whom it is made fail to feel it belongs to them, it will not work successfully Unless an activity is planned with them, people in free choice societies will not long participate in them. One might say that rural people usually do not see far enough ahead to agree on future projects for the improvement of their situation. This may be true in general but they should always be prepared through discussion to see the necessity and importance for planning and adopting such programs. Then, we may depend on their co-operation and participation in the implementation of the work. Of course, with the proper understanding of the concept and necessity of planning with the people, willincrease professional competency, and together with overcoming some of the other hurdles in the way, and so, greater stress is now being given to planning with the people.

 

Planning with the people:

 

The experience of several countries advanced in extension work has proven that the extension program should start from the local level, information on local conditions and other factors related to people’s attitude, manner of living, financial situation and human power facilities, should be taken into consideration in planning an extension program. The extension worker should acquaint himself with the general agricultural, social and economical conditions of his area. He needs to do a job analysis in co-operation with the groups of progressive farmers of major farm enterprises and various important rural activities in order to know the standard practices and to select the important and crucial problems.

 

In the light of this, the program should then be discussed with concerned people to secure their interest and to assure their maximum participation in the execution of the work. To achieve the program’s objectives i.e. increase in income, development of leadership among people, building self reliance and decision-making, an extension worker should take the steps just mentioned in co-operation with farmers and rural leaders. This is the basic foundation for all fruitful achievement that an extension worker hopes to attain in working with rural people.

 

Participation of the people with the extension worker in studying local conditions help him to know exactly what their problems are, felt needs of the majority, the causes of the problems, other problems and needs that the people do not recognize and feel clearly and what has been done by individuals or groups to improve the present situation. The extension agent, by working closely with the people of his area, sharing opinions and experience will have a better understanding of their ability and capacity to accept new ideas and practices.

 

Concept of People’s Participation:

 

In the ultimate sense, the whole purpose and process of people’s participation in the context of directed social change is human resource development – the development of human and inner material resources, with stimulus and support external to the community. The process of people’s participation in rural development involves transfer of administrative and financial powers from ‘have’ to ‘haves notes’ and sharing of technical and legal information with the local people, whose participation is sought. Drawing upon the experiences, some of the rationale for participatory extension vis-a-vis rural development can be identified as follows:

  1. Reduction in development cost to the government and other development agencies
  2. Enhancing the capacity of the rural communities to deal with their problems
  3. Correction of mistakes made by project authority in designing and implementing the programs of action
  4. Increase in the level of political awareness of the people
  5. Reaching the program’s benefits, to all the legitimate claimants
  6. Decrease in perpetual dependence of people on government and thereby making the program self sustaining and local peoples self reliant
  7. Gaining access to and control of resources
  8. Easier mobilization of local resources
  9. Gradual empowerment of socially and economically disadvantaged people in the community

With regard to rural development, people’s participation includes people’s involvement in decision making processes, in implementing programs, their sharing in the benefits of developments programs and their involvement in efforts to evaluate such programs.(Cohen and Uphoff,1977)

 

Community participation is an active process by which beneficiaries or client groups influence the direction and execution of a development program with a view of enhancing their wellbeing in terms of income, personal growth, self-reliance or other values they cherish.(Paul, 1987)

 

According to World Bank(1994), Participation is a process, through which stakeholder’s influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources, which affects them. We can interpretate people’s participation in two broad and distinct areas of development.

 

1.People’s Participation as a means:

 

Participation is seen as a process where by local people cooperate or collaborate with externally introduced development programs. In this way participation becomes the means whereby such initiatives can be more effectively implemented. People’s participation is sponsored by an external agency and it is seen as a technique to support the progress of the program.

 

2.People’s participation as an end:

 

People’s participation is seen as a goal in itself. This goal can be expressed as the empowering of people in terms of their acquiring the skills, knowledge and experience to take greater responsibility for their development. People’s poverty can often be explained in terms of their exclusion and lack of access to and control of the resources, which they need to sustain and improves their lives. Participation is an instrument of

change and it can help to break that exclusion and to provide poor people with the basis for their more direct involvement in development initiatives.

 

The critical issue to bear in mind is that people’s participation in development is concerned with two things: (i) structural relationships and the importance of developing people’s capacities and skills to negotiate and to seek the resources and changes which they require in order to improve their lives and,(ii) the methods and techniques whereby local people can be brought to play a part and to develop a stake in development programs and projects.

 

Another way of distinguishing between different forms of participation is to think in terms of levels or degree of participation. These can be understood along a continuum and can range from participation as essentially an act of manipulation to a degree of participation in which stakeholders become partners in development initiative and begin to assume full responsibility for its management.

  1. Manipulation:

The lower range applies to situations of ‘non-participation’, where participation is contrived as the opportunity to in doctrine.

 

2.Information:

 

When stakeholders are informed about the rights, and options, the first important step towards genuine participation takes place. The main drawback at this stage as that emphasis is placed on one-way communication, with neither channel for feedback nor power for negotiation.

 

3.Consultation:

 

This level entailstwo-way communication where stakeholders have the opportunity to express suggestions and concerns but no assurance that their input will be used at all or as they intended. Therefore, it could be said that it at this level stakeholders are, ‘participating in participation’. The most frequent approach to consultation is chaired meeting where stakeholders do not contribute to the agenda, public hearings and surveys.

 

4.Consensus-building:

 

Here stakeholders are interacts in order to understand each other and arrive at negotiated positions, which are tolerable to the entire group. A common drawback is that vulnerable individuals and groups tend to remain silent.

 

5.Decision-making:

 

When consensus is acted upon through collective decisions, this marks the initiation of shared responsibilities for outcomes that may result. Negotiations at this stage reflect different degrees of leverage exercised by individuals and groups.

 

6.Risk-sharing:

 

This level builds upon the preceding one but expands beyond decisions to encompass the effects of their results, a mix of beneficial, harmful and natural consequences. Things being constantly in flux, there is always the element of risk, where even the best intended decisions might yield the least desired results. Hence, accountability is fundamental at this level, especially when those with the greatest leverage may be the ones with the least at risk.

 

7.Partnership:

 

This relationship entails exchange among equals working towards a mutual goal. Note that equal as applied here is not in terms of forms, structure or function but in terms of balance of respect. Since partnership builds upon the preceding levels, it assumes mutual responsibility and risk sharing.

 

8.Self-management:

 

This is the pinnacle of participatory efforts, where stakeholders interact in learning processes, which optimize the well being of all concerned.

 

Levels of Participation:

 

Biggs(1989) and Pretty (1994) had given the following levels in ascending order as follows:

 

(i)Receiving Information:

 

Participants areinformed or told what a project will do after it has been decided by others.

 

(ii)Passive information giving:

 

Participants can respond to questions and issues that interventionists deem relevant for making decisions about program.

 

(iii)Consultation:

 

Participants are asked about their views and opinions and without restriction, but the interventionists unilaterally decide what they will do with information.

 

(iv)Collaboration:

Participants are partners in a program planning and jointly decide about issues with the project staff.

(v)Self-mobilization:

Participants initiate, work on and decide on projects independently, with interventionists in a supportive role only.

 

Organization of planning committees:

 

An advisory committee may be defined as a group of lay people organized from among the community to serve as an advisory group to the extension workers, who are responsible for the development and execution of an extension program. The advisory committee, whatever its form and wherever its composition and size, is inevitable and must be a part of the larger social system.

 

Structural form of the committee mostly depends on the kind and number of subparts and number of members. The experience of several decades in extension work suggests that the most effective pattern appears to be one with a central body and a number of subparts which include in their membership one or more from the central unit (Figure – 2). Frequently, the subparts are standing committees like the central unit.

 

Carter (1964) reported that the performance of advisory committee was more effective when the duties, obligations and power or influence were widely distributed among the members. The people should represent rural, urban, and civic, all age groups and all socioeconomic levels. In brief, the members of the committee should truly represent all relevant groups and interests. The committee’s members should be well informed in extension aims and problems, local community affairs and organizationally minded, in other words, a person who will make contributions in committee meetings. The service of the members must be for a definite period in order to attract individuals and allow them to plan productive use of their period of tenure. In this context, ad hoc committees may be quite productive. The tenure of the committee should be neither too long nor too short to maintain morale and integration. The numbers in the advisory committee should not be larger than twelve otherwise; they may tend towards conflict and factionalism among themselves. In addition to, there should also cohesiveness among the members of the advisory committee so that they may work, think and feel together about the problems and their solutions in the community.

 

Summary:

 

The primary responsibility for having a suitable organization for involving the people in extension work rests with the extension workers. A suitable organization is one that meets accepted criteria for a good organization and conforms to the policies of the State Extension Service. This fact leaves open the door for imaginative application by the agent of proven principles in establishing an organization and evolving efficient working procedures for it. A proper understanding of the individual in a group, the internal dynamics of the group and the external forces of the group can help to increasing group outputs. Although research has provided sufficient guidelines for organizing an effective advisory committee for people’s participation, still there is no one known procedure that will guarantee the proper combination of the various elements into one effective organism. Thus, people’s participation in the program planning process would give them a proprietary interest in seeing that an extension program which is carried out would lead to action for their development.

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