People, Land and Water: Participatory Development Communication for Natural Resource Management

In natural resource management research, best practice implies the participation of community members, research or development teams and other stakeholders to jointly identify research and development parameters and contribute to decision making. Ideally, the research or development process itself generates a situation of empowerment in which participants transform their vision and become able to take effective action. Used increasingly widely in resource management, this process is known as Participatory Development Communication (PDC).

This book presents conceptual and methodological issues related to the use of PDC to facilitate participation amongst stakeholders in a variety of natural resource management initiatives. Each chapter presents in-depth experiences from Asia and Africa to highlight different ways in which this process can be achieved. The book describes the major issues involved in applying PDC to natural resource management practices and research, discusses the challenges and the difficulties linked to such an approach and offers insights and lessons from research and experience in the field.

Guy Bessette is a senior program specialist for Canada's International Development Research Centre in the area of environment and natural resource management. Bessette specializes in development communication and participatory development. He holds a doctorate in educational technology and has authored three other books on development communication (published with IDRC)