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Developing Community Empowerment on a Sustainable Basis Reference: Vinay Chand?s contribution on ?Capacity for local empowerment, dated May 22, 2004 For the three decades in Government working at various level for rural development and thereafter as NGO leader, I have been working on developing right approaches for negotiating with local community groups how a programme should be initiated and developed that would become genuinely community?s programme. In my present organization Development Support Centre where I am a honorary Chairman, we seem to have developed approach and methodology that embodies a process which helps the local community, step by step to consider their problems, analyze the reasons, examine options. At that point, the developing agency help the local groups to consider more options particularly by visiting success stories in the same field and then go back, discuss within the community which options are more appropriate in their own conditions. At that point the development agency again helps the local groups to develop a programme which would combine local priorities and knowledge and external experience and expertise. The agency would then provide software support of community organizing, training and assist in planning that could attract external funding. This process has produced a remarkable results particularly in transferring government canals to be managed by Farmers? Organizations ? called the programme of Participatory Irrigation Management. Attached is a sheet ?Farmers as Managers? that summarizes the achievements of Water Users? Associations which were promoted by Development Support Centre. The process described about was followed and the supporting association of Development Support Centre with the WUAs has tapered down almost to the point that there is no need for giving assistance in decision making for the WUAs established before three years. On the other hand DSC is using the leaders of established WUAs to participate in conferences and programme where they act as resource persons for sharing their experiences which now inspires others to get organized as WUAs and take responsibility for management of canals so far managed by government. I hope this experience will be of some value in the issue raised by Vinay Chand in his email dated May 22 2004 on the subject of ?capacity for local empowerment?. Anil C Shah Chairman To: Mr Vijay Chand <address removed> -----Original Message----- From: <address removed> [mailto:<address removed> Behalf Of Vinay Chand Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 8:28 PM To: global-trade Subject: Unequal competition Ruchi Tripathi's statements of Action Aid policy represents a very commendable agenda in calling for regulatory steps on a global level to try to even the playing field for developing countries. We are unfortunately no where near even serious debate or possibility of achieving it. In the absence of imminent action to achieve regulatory protection, we must consider what commodity exporters can be helped to achieve for themselves and how those who are already convinced of the need for positive discrimination among consumers in importing countries can do by exercising their market rights. For me the crux of the problem lies in attitudes in commodity producing countries which prevent them from being able to compete in the global economy. The attitudes I refer to are typical of commodity producers in that they offer for sale, they do not market or think in terms of marketing. If all you do is produce and offer for sale, it is not surprising that buyers will dictate prices that continually reduce you to survival levels. This is the market ethos. The buyers will keep telling producers that their produce is competing with others that are more attractive and that in any case is competing with other suppliers of a better quality of the same produce. They will finish by telling you that your quality standards are in any case poor. These attitudes need to change and there is no substitute for that. From selling they need to change to marketing. That requires treating commodities as products because increasingly all commodities are competing with others. Even more it requires trying to transform commodities into products through processing. The best assistance that can be given is not price information! It is market information and intelligence but most of all marketing technology. Changing attitudes! Although there may not be enough desire to introduce regulatory measures, very many consumers are well inclined and the success of fair trade labels are testament to that. Provided that fair trade boils down to paying farmers more, it can be promoted for that reason to consumers in developed countries. Better still is to combine fair trade with environmentally friendly greener practices that will lead to better food products. DFID should concentrate on helping change attitudes through transfer of marketing technology and assist in financing promotion of fair trade type promotions. Best wishes, Vinay Chand, 230, Finchley Road, London NW3 6DJ, UK Tel: 44-20-7794 5977 Fax: 44-20-7431 5715 <address removed>
Please visit dfid-agriculture-consultation.nri.org.