Prerequisites which foster change in rural community development : a case study of drinking water initiatives in Gujarat

Abstract

There are certain prerequisites which foster social and environmental change within community development. The qualitative data will be organized to reveal the nature and interconnectedness of the complex issues within community development. Four prerequisites are identified including the role of the change agents; community development process; gender relations; and village leadership and awareness. An initiative by two Gujarati voluntary organizations is used in order to explore these prerequisites within rural development.

The development initiative responds to the state's serious environmental and natural resource management problem i.e., the shortage of drinking water. In order for the water to remain potable, it must be protected from the saline soil and the shallow groundwater. To achieve this, surface ponds are lined with thick plastic sheets to prevent salinization. This alternative rain water harvesting system incorporates traditional knowledge with technology.

However, the belief held by voluntary organizations is that purely structural and technical solutions to water resource problems are not economic or sufficient to resolve the problem. The voluntary organizations' solution includes a technical component while incorporating the community at all levels of decision-making in the programme. One of the long term goals of a community development initiative should be to effectively organize villagers so they can better their living conditions.

In order to address the issue of change within rural development, five villages were selected and analyzed through a comparative framework. The four phase comparative analysis framework incorporates various disciplines including economic, political, environmental, psychological and sociological aspects when critiquing the five villages. The goal is to reach a common comparative framework which can be used to make conclusions regarding the development hypothesis.