Principles and Techniques of Veterinary and AH Extension

Why Community development is a method, process, programme and movement?

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT -  METHOD / PROCESS / PROGRAMME / MOVEMENT

Community development – as a Method

• Community development is a method of helping local communities to become more aware of their needs, to assess their resources more realistically, to organize themselves and their resources in such a way as to satisfy some of their needs through action projects. This is to develop themselves on their own capacity and resources.

Community Development – as a Process

• Community development is a process of change form the traditional way of living of rural communities to progressive ways of living. It is a process in that, it is a dynamic sequence which being set in motion, supplies its own motive power so that the people are enabled through their own efforts to move steadily towards the goal of self-improvement .

Community development – as a Programme

• Community development is a programme for accomplishing certain activities concerning the welfare of the rural people.

Community development – as a Movement

• Community development is a movement for progress with certain ideological contents.
• This process had been reduced (by Dr. Carl Taylor) to its simplest components by way of the following four steps.
  • Systematic discussion of community felt needs by members of the community.
  • Systematic planning to carry out the first self-help undertaking that has been selected by the community.
  • Mobilization and harnessing of the physical, economic and social potentialities of local community for carrying out a concrete project.
  • Creation of aspiration and determination to undertake additional community improvement projects.
• The two essential elements in community development are

i) participation by the people themselves in efforts to improve their level of living with as much reliance as possible on their own initiative and

ii)the provision of technical and other services in way which encourage initiative, self help and mutual help and make these more effective.