In this article we present and discuss experiences developed through a dialogue conference which we organised as part of a three-year participatory action research project related to primary education and agricultural education in Tanzania. We explore how dialogue conference as a research method can fill a gap between traditional ways of mutual…

In 1978, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international health community convoked a conference in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, to address global inequalities in health. The conference resulted in the publication of the "Declaration of Alma-Ata," which made the ambitious call "for urgent action by all governments, all health and…

Steps in an integrated model include (1) problem solving (exploration, assessment, goal setting, planning, implementation, evaluation); (2) community building (entering, discovering, developing relationships, building an organization, enhancing capacity, phasing out, exiting); and (3) systems interaction (change agent system, client system, action…

Community development practitioners in rural areas need to develop strategies for coping with rural dependence on core organizations such as multinational corporations and national governments. Rural communities should discuss issues, join forces with other communities, interact with core actors, and find ways to be more self-reliant. (SK)

Data from 12 rural community problem-solving groups working with extension agents were studied to explore the relationship between group and individual growth and (1) agent self-actualization and (2) certain group trait variables. Individual and group growth was found to be highly related to small group size, high ratings of problem importance,…

The growth of individuals participating in community problem solving activities within a rural setting was the focus of this study. Using grounded theory methodology, data was obtained from literature, interviews with participants in four rural community problem solving groups, and one participant-observation study of a rural community problem…

This report was designed mainly as an aid to developing staff training for field personnel engaged in social or economic development, particularly as this may relate to disadvantaged areas. In one aspect, it is a descriptive report of the findings and experiences of a pilot-training project carried out from the fall of 1967 to the fall of 1969 by…

The Center for Community Organization and Area Development prods residents of a tri-state area to understand their problems and then stirs them to come up with solutions. (Editor)

A series of four workshops for community administrators and public agency program directors in rural Stevens County, Washington, was intended to introduce and support the idea of networks among rural agencies and to increase community development skills in communication, problem solving, community organization, and group process. Trainers designed…

A guide for community leaders, extension staff, and community or rural development practitioners outlines the evolution of a regional training model for community-based problem solving in rural areas experiencing economic decline. The paper discusses the model's underlying concepts and implementation process and includes descriptions of four…

To identify and describe extension role types, all educational assistants in the Small Farm Program, agricultural specialists, and community development and local government specialists in Missouri were asked to fill out questionnaires asking how frequently they performed 56 activities broadly representing what extension field staff might do.…

The Rural Intervention Project was intended to reduce status offenses and delinquent behavior by youths and to increase the opportunities for positive youth involvement by providing problem solving services to the youth and families of rural Pima County, Arizona. Begun by Portable Practical Educational Preparation, Inc. in 1978 and operating on a…

Intended for agency field personnel who assist in local community development (CD) efforts, this publication is the second of three making up an intensive training manual for community development. Using an inservice training approach, this part of the manual contains four instructional units: rationale for CD training, what CD is (CD as process,…