Participatory Development

Supporting Local Grassroots Efforts

Abstract

The purpose of my talk is to discuss participatory development, specifically community improvement efforts that are created by and for people living in low-wealth communities. This conference is about remaking communities in the rural areas of Eastern North Carolina. Participatory development is an approach where the energy and direction for remaking communities comes from within the communities themselves. This presentation is organized into three major parts. In the first section, I introduce participatory development as a concept and a practice. Second, I discuss participatory development as carried out through the Center for Participatory Change, which is the nonprofit organization that I co-direct. Third and finally, I outline how the Center has used participatory development approaches to help farmers remake tobacco-dependent communities in Western North Carolina.