Farrington, John

This issue of Natural Resource Perspectives from ODI (Overseas Development Institute) examines participatory watershed management in India as a means to improved rural livelihoods. India is remarkable not only in the scale of its wastelands, and in the volume of government funds committed to reversing degradation, but especially in the attempt to link environmental improvement and poverty reduction. The government's 1994 Guidelines for Microwatershed Rehabilitation envisage a high degree of participation and local autonomy in the design and implementation of rehabilitation.

This article is a conceptual review of a decade of work on Farmer Participation in Research and Extension (FPR/E). Though FPR/E does have an important role, it has generated over-optimistic expectations. This is caused by lack of clarity in the objectives of different kinds of participation; the way participatory approaches relate to other modes of client orientation; and the various roles of different organizations in promoting participation. A major unresolved issue is the need to complement depth of participation with breadth of coverage.