Enhance Community Development Research Articles

Vegetation cover analysis and ecotourism business model for sustainable forest management in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia

Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) is part of the Tropical Rainforest Heritage program of Sumatra that was designated by UNESCO. GLNP is very vulnerable to vegetation land cover decrease due to illegal logging, encroachment, oil palm expansion, and inappropriate management of ecotourism. GLNP authority has the responsibility to handle forest threats by estimating vegetation cover and manage the ecotourism sector. This study aims to estimate vegetation cover and investigate strategy in developing ecotourism business model for sustainable forest management in GLNP. The methods used Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis in estimating vegetation cover, and Social Enterprise - Business Model Canvas (SE-BMC) in developing a strategic business ecotourism model. NDVI was classified into 5 classes from class 1 to 5 (non-vegetation or very low dense vegetation to very high dense vegetation) based on unsupervised classification (natural breaks in ArcGIS). The results showed the largest vegetation area in GLNP belongs to class 4 (445876 ha or 32.68%) and class 5 (355018 ha or 26.02%). This indicates that the majority of GLNP by area is still densely vegetated. Based on SE-BMC analysis, GLNP management needs to collaborate with the local community and other stakeholders. We recommend improving ecotourism management and enhancing community development.

Beyond Rural Contexts: Community-Based Tourism for A Better Life in The City

Community-based tourism (CBT) is most commonly practiced in rural contexts. We focus on CBT in urban areas and argue that it can be practised in poor urban settings such as slums, favelas and townships. In terms of methodology, this paper is conceptual in nature and its aim is to unpack the framing of CBT in urban settings. Literature on CBT in urban contexts is scarce and negligible. CBT which favours disadvantaged contexts has the potential to improve the quality of life of people and enhance community development. Inequality in urban contexts is growing both between and within countries in both developing and developed economies. Against this backdrop, we explore CBT in urban areas (with a nomenclature community-based urban tourism – CBUT), and is specifically meant for poor, disadvantaged, marginalised urban contexts. We suggest that in CBUT, matters of ‘proximity’; infrastructure; and geography are important enablers of tourism development. We argue that universities have an important role to play through skills development for CBUT. Given the scarcity of literature on CBT in urban areas, we contribute to the notion of community in a CBUT context and to the success factors of a CBUT venture.

PERAN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) DALAM MENINGKATKAN PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT DESA GEMAWANG KECAMATAN JAMBU

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the responsibility of a company to commit to running a business ethically, morally, and contributing to economic development and improving people's lives. Gemawang Village, Jambu Regency, Ambawara, is one of the locations for CSR recipients. This location is the object of this research. This study aims to analyze the role of CSR in enhancing community development, as well as to find out the obstacles faced by companies in increasing community development through CSR. This research method uses qualitative methods, where there are several key informants as sources of information. The indicators used in this study are the level of effectiveness, level of suitability, level of participation, level of empowerment, and level of sustainability. Based on the results of research in Gemawang Village, Jambu District, it can be concluded that CSR assistance provided by the company can improve community development and living standards. Keywords: CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, Level of Effectiveness, Level of Empowerement

Revitalizing Cooperative Programmes Activities for Active Participation of Rural Women Towards Enhancing Community Development in Nigeria

Revitalizing Cooperative Programmes Activities for Active Participation of Rural Women Towards Enhancing Community Development in Nigeria

THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN SOCIAL-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY: FOCUS ON REDEEMED GOSPEL CHURCH IN MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA

Across the globe, questions have emerged on the role the church should play in enhancing community development. A majority of scholars have agreed that the Church has an integral responsibility in creating an environment fit for socio-economic development in any country. For instance, churches have been seen creating awareness through seminars. Nonetheless, some countries have recorded the participation of the church in quite a number of educational and healthcare facilities that are rooted to the Church. The Roman Catholic and the Lutheran churches are some examples that have enormously influenced the lives of many in socio–economic development. This paper seeks to explore the role played by the Redeemed Gospel Church (RGC) in socio-economic transformation of the community in Makueni County besides its evident spiritual transformation. In achieving this objective, the paper uses empirical qualitative design. With a sample of 30 churches across the County, participatory ethnographic interviews and questionnaires were used as the main methods of data collection. Analysis of the collected data was then done qualitatively, and the results presented in themes. The study finds that education, healthcare and agriculture are among other sectors in which the Redeemed Gospel Church has played a role in development. Article visualizations:

CHALLENGES FACED BY THE REDEEMED GOSPEL CHURCH IN CONDUCTING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA

To achieve community development, people have to be empowered both economically and socially. The church has been globally recognized in the fundamental role it plays in community development. However, some churches have faced various obstacles that hinder their potential contribution in achieving this objective. Community development requires a collective involvement to achieve common goals and without this, it becomes a challenge. There has been no documentation of challenges encountered by the Redeemed Gospel Church (RGC) when conducting development projects. This paper is therefore an assessment of the challenges faced by the Church in its mandate to enhance community development. This paper utilized an empirical qualitative “ethnographic” research design. Participatory ethnographic interviews and questionnaires were employed as the main methods for data collection. Data was collected from 30 RGCs that were randomly selected in the 20 sub-regions making in Makueni County at the time of the study. The collected data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively and presented in themes. The study indicates that besides financial hindrances, the churches also lacked leadership training on its management and in the management of projects in the community. Article visualizations:

Decolonising the Rural-Urban Dichotomy in South Africa: An Asset-Based Approach

The rural-urban migration syndrome has eaten deep into the fabric of rural development in South Africa, thereby denying rural dwellers equitable access to social and economic amenities and social empowerment. This study, therefore, seeks to emancipate rural communities through an asset-based community development approach by forming university-community synergies for the purpose of decolonising these rural communities. The study attempted to provide a solution to the question of inequalities between rural and urban communities with a focus on how university engagement can be used to enhance community development in QwaQwa/Harismith Township and its environments. The study adopted a participatory action research design and the free attitude interview technique was used to collect data. The research participants consisted of one research assistant and 10 ordinary community members, members of NGOs and community leaders in QwaQwa/Harrismith Township in the Free State province of South Africa. Data collected were analysed through Laws, Harpes and Marcus’s seven-step model. The study revealed that rural dwellers face challenges of inequitable educational facilities and resources, and a lack of security in terms of their lives, properties, and means of travelling. Likewise, the study also showed a lack of access to health facilities in their communities. It was therefore concluded that community engagement through the asset-based approach and decoloniality would enable the university to empower rural dwellers with the freedom to attain their well-being by ensuring an environment that is sufficient and adequate for social investment.

Community participation in landslide risk reduction: a case history from Central Andes, Peru

This article describes the intertwined history of scientific research and landslide disaster risk reduction efforts in a small peasant community in the Rampac Grande of the Peruvian Andes. It was struck by a catastrophic landslide in 2009, claiming five fatalities and challenging local knowledge about landslide occurrence and mitigation practices. This article describes collaboration between a team of scientists, comprising both foreign and Peruvian experts and the local community, which started after the 2009 landslide and culminated during the disaster risk reduction (DRR) project which ran from 2016 to 2017. It illustrates the shift from refusing outside intervention to acceptance of the proposed measures and active community participation in their application and maintenance. This was achieved by rethinking the role of local and scientific knowledge during the process of DRR through enhanced communication and the appropriate use of the participative methods. Emphasis is placed on the crucial role played by community representative participation during formulation of the expected outcomes of the DRR, which leads to hazard reduction through the preparation of hazard maps and of the monitoring of landslide movement. Enhanced community development can also be evidenced by the construction of water tanks in the year following termination of the project. Despite the documented short-term success in landslide DRR, defining long-term exit strategy allowing the community to continue applying the measures with necessity of the minimum input from the outside actors is intrinsically difficult and still needs to be resolved.

Gender Participation in Community Development Governance in the Niger Delta: A Case of the SPDC GMoU

The quality of women participation in Community development governance systems is considered to impact the outcomes of such initiatives in addressing the needs of rural women. The objective of this investigation was to examine the extent to which gender is mainstreamed in the governance structure of Shell Petroleum Development Company’s (SPDC) Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. The constraints and implications of women participation in the GMoU were analysed with a view of ascertaining not only the representation of women but their contribution to development outcomes. Previous analysis of the GMoU fell short by depending on secondary data obtained from SPDC’s interval evaluation system or primary data that excluded perspectives of the rural women and men in the GMoU communities. The study adopted the purposive sampling technique while the population was selected using criterion sampling. Key Informant Interviews were conducted with 28 respondents selected in Seven active clusters while respondents from each cluster was selected based on their participation and experience with the GMoU. Focused group discussions were conducted with 37 participants drawn from communities in each cluster which brought the sample size of the study to 68. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis procedures using Sustainable Community Development Parameters (SCDP) as a guide. While the women appointed to executive positions enjoyed tokenism, the study found that gender representation in the GMoU policy was not significant to enhance community development. Priority needs of community women were also not being met due to the reluctance of Community Development Boards (CDB) to release funds earmarked for women and the inadequate GMoU funding to cater for community’s priority needs. The mainstreaming of gender in the GMoU was also hampered by the lack of an intent on the part of SPDC to achieve gender equality and little or no enforcement by the monitoring NGO’s. The study did not find significant evidence that showed women's participation in the GMoU led to improved project outcomes but it was established that potentials exists for greater contribution of women in local economic development. The study concludes that women’s insights and values can enrich the community development decision making at the grassroots with the mainstreaming of gender at every stage of the GMoU process.

Enhancing social values, identity and wellbeing: the impact of participatory working with housing association tenants

Abstract Community engagement is now embedded in the work of housing associations and local authorities in the UK, as a way of enhancing community development and involvement. This research takes as its focus a housing association based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales; a town that has experienced deindustrialization, peripheralization, and as a result, some of the UK’s highest levels of socio-economic deprivation. The importance of participatory working outside of a regulatory agenda and boundary is explored, to evaluate the role of tenant participation in building more effective community development practices. The data is gathered through an ethnographic methodology, working with tenants on facilitated projects to explore the impact of TP on tenants. It draws on two distinctive tenant initiatives: a cooking group and a tenant ‘youth forum’. The research finds that through these methods of engagement, a number of positive outcomes can be identified across the tenant body, namely (i) the forging and embedding of social values, (ii) empowering tenant groups and sustaining community identity and (iii) enhancing tenant wellbeing.

Communities of practice in the design of a curriculum for student teachers of English

This article interprets the new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for Further Education and Training for teacher education as an opportunity for creating communities of practice, which means viewing teaching and learning as socially situated (Barton, 1994: 68). A transliteracies framework for language development was used (Stornaiuolo, Smith and Phillips (2016: 4), which refers to resemiotisation. Guiterrez (2008) implies that, in an institutionalised learning context, it is acknowledged that multiple discourses come together around a specific task, such as in this case, English education. Multiple intersecting discourses are at play, and individuals develop meaningful connections to each other in the process of collaborative negotiation of meaning. In these communities, certain practices originate, and are developed, perpetuated and discarded, or adapted with the intention of expanding student linguistic and intellectual development. The content of the specific English teacher education curriculum design discussed here, is on globally pertinent issues of political, social and ecological ethics, in an attempt to address existing and persistent hierarchies of power while developing agency, voice, empathy and reflexivity, qualities which may enhance community development. A strong emphasis on critical reading, collaborative argumentation and engagement with text production is proposed, as a means of building community in the classroom.

Agrotourism and well-being sustainability: A communication and journalistic approach to ‘what matters and better life'

L’agriturismo e la forma alternativa di turismo che ha una dinamica emergente: imprenditori e agricoltori locali si integrano; vengono utilizzati natura, altri beni di capitale e le attivita agricole; e inserito nell’attuale ambiente di viaggio e dell’industria del turismo come mezzo di valorizzazione dello sviluppo e del benessere comune. Lo studio offre riflessioni su come il comunicare una realta agricola realizzabile nel contesto dell’agriturismo sostenibile, i sociali media, la pianificazione turistica collaborativa e l’integrazione delle molteplici forme di capitale (naturale, culturale, sociale, umano, politico, finanziario) contribuiscano ad uno sviluppo turistico alternativo e sostenibile e favoriscano il perseguimento del benessere sostenibile della societa (sviluppo umano: il benessere della persona e l’agro-comunita).

Commercial Uses of Sweet Potatoes—a Missing Link to Community Development: A Case Study of Rural Zimbabwe

Many rural communities have rampant underdevelopment; hence, the aim of this paper was to investigate if there were knowledge gaps on the commercial uses of sweet potatoes being grown in the rural areas of Beacon-Hill of Chipinge District in Zimbabwe, for community development. This research used qualitative and quantitative approaches, in which interviews and questionnaires were used as instruments for data collection. This research discovered heterogeneous distributions of knowledge on the uses of sweet potatoes, which can enhance community development. This research recommends that the concerned departments of local governments have to train the rural populace on the pertinent knowledge on how to use their natural resources.

Leading across cultural borders: a communitarian approach to global development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the community development experiences of a communitarian leader who has worked with various global institutions. Through interviews and the examination of lived experiences, findings yield new insights into the complexity of human identity and the flexibility of decision making in a multicultural setting. The narrative also aims to inform current discourse on leadership in the non-profit sector. Design/methodology/approach Narrative analysis was used to investigate outcomes and relay the personal anecdotes of the interview participant. Formal and open-ended questioning generated comprehensive responses concerning the participant’s personal and professional interactions while completing work-related tasks for global development projects. In general, questions that referenced conflict among colleagues, cultural proclivities, and gendered decision making allowed the participant to expound on answers that explored workplace relationships, organizational structures, and leadership perspectives. Interview responses were examined for emergent patterns or categories and detailed analysis of codes from interviews guided the creation of four key themes: feminine ethos, organizational identity, self-perception, and sociocultural interaction. Findings The narrative delves into the important human and humanitarian experiences that have shaped the professional life of Dr Thomas Bruce, an exemplar of leadership in the global non-profit sector. Bruce, a self-described communitarian, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Heifer International and oversaw community outreach initiatives in South Africa for the Kellogg Foundation. Based on Bruce’s knowledge, expertise, and responses, findings suggest global leaders take a multidimensional approach to colleague interaction and project completion. Narrative outcomes also indicate the evolving nature of grassroots initiatives requires both assertive and cooperative management styles. Research limitations/implications Due to the chosen research method, findings focus on the experiences of one global non-profit leader. Narrative outcomes are unique and may not have the requisite data to be applied to cases or situations beyond the global non-profit sector. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to interview other leaders who have worked on global humanitarian initiatives to further understand their diverse experiences. Practical implications The narrative includes practical implications for practitioners who oversee global development projects and other humanitarian initiatives in an interdependent world. Use of compromise, collaboration, and compassion often aid community outreach efforts and strengthen communication in the workplace, particularly for leaders who manage a multicultural workforce. Social implications In an interdependent world shaped by the forces of globalization and cosmopolitanism, leaders of global non-profit organizations regularly manage a multicultural workforce and resolve public disputes in order to address prevailing humanitarian challenges. Understanding the lessons learned by one exemplar in the global non-profit sector can aid cross-cultural communication and enhance community development activities in various countries. Originality/value This narrative fills an identified need to study and understand how global leaders work with diverse communities and a multicultural workforce to complete important institutional and humanitarian goals.

Community development today: engaging challenges through cosmopolitanism?

This article begins by outlining some of the challenges and opportunities for community development theory and practice today. Some of these have been present from the 1960s and 70s, some have been evident for several decades, others are new and some demand urgent attention. The second part of the paper notes three types of responses to the challenges. It argues the case for embracing one specific response, namely a deepening of a cosmopolitan outlook in both the theory and practice of community development. While acknowledging that community development is in someways already a cosmopolitan endeavour, the paper concludes with a call for exploration of the ways in which embracing a broader and deeper cosmopolitanism might enhance community development as it responds to contemporary challenges.

Local perceptions of the relative contributions of enclave tourism and agritourism to community well-being: The case of Mauritius

Abstract To date, limited attention has been paid to the contribution of tourism to the well-being of island residents in general and to whether such well-being varies according to the nature of tourism development in particular. Specifically, island tourism is frequently manifested in resort-based enclave development, a form of tourism that is often criticised for its assumed limited benefits to the wider community. As a consequence, alternative approaches such as agritourism, are increasingly proposed as a means of enhancing community development and well-being, yet the relative merits of enclave and agritourism have not been explored within an island tourism context. This paper addresses this notable gap in the literature. Drawing on a questionnaire-based survey in Mauritius, it considers and compares the perceptions of local people of the extent to which enclave tourism and agritourism contribute to their well-being. The results reveal that both types of tourism development contribute both positively and negatively to community well-being although enclave tourism is perceived to have fewer positive outcomes. On the one hand, enclave tourism provides valuable cultural opportunities but damages the environment, restricts entrepreneurship and favours local elites; on the other hand, agritourism, although not yet well-established in Mauritius, is perceived to positively enhance the cultural and social spheres of community life whilst supporting entrepreneurship.

Consumer Demand for Value-added Products of African Indigenous Vegetables in Coastal Kenya: The Case of Sun-dried and Frozen Cowpea Leaves

Some recent efforts to improve the food and nutrition security of rural households have focused on the promotion of African indigenous vegetables (AIVs). This has been due to the challenges smallholder farmers face in participating in high-value global food systems. AIVs contain vitamins and micronutrients not found in most exotic vegetables, and therefore their consumption could contribute to resolving malnutrition among poor rural households. Higher consumption could also lead to improved rural incomes through sales into urban niche markets, resulting in enhanced community development. Despite the role AIVs can play in promoting food security and community development, the AIV supply is highly seasonal, characterized by large gluts and acute shortages. Much study of AIVs has focused on production rather than consumption. In this study we use descriptive analysis to describe AIV consumers and assess demand for basic value-addition practices by AIV retailers. We then use regression analysis to examine the factors conditioning consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for more advanced value-addition processes that can smooth out the supply of AIVs. It focuses on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), one of the most widely consumed AIVs in western, eastern, and coastal Kenya. We find that several socio-economic factors and varietal attributes condition the WTP for value addition. Specifically, WTP is affected by age, gender, education, awareness of the selected value-addition techniques, and the self-reported likelihood of purchasing value-added vegetables. Additionally, color, tenderness of leaves, and the washing off of soil affect WTP for value addition. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for traditional fresh produce food systems, community development, and policy. See the press release for this article.

Life After Weight Loss: Design Implications for Community-based Long-term Weight Management

The pervasiveness of online health communities and recent exponential growth of health tracking technologies provide new possibilities for weight management, an important health issue that remains prevalent. To enhance the understanding of how to support them to succeed, we investigate people's practices and experiences over the course of weight management, interviewing users from a well-established online peer-to-peer weight management community that integrates a calorie tracking tool. We find that support for weight loss maintenance was surprisingly overlooked, which we identify as a missed opportunity both for recognizing and leveraging individual member's success and for enhancing community development. Our findings further characterize the changes people experience when they have transited from weight loss to weight loss maintenance. These changes of experience converge onto four facets, including motivation, goal recognition, social support, and social presence. We discuss the specific challenges and associated design opportunities these changes of experience afford for supporting long-term success of weight management.

Településvezetés és szuburbanizáció

A budapesti agglomerációban az utóbbi bő két évtizedben jelentős társadalmi és gazdasági változások zajlottak. A változások egyik legfőbb oka a szuburbanizáció, azaz a Budapestről érkező lakosság és vállalkozók letelepedése, ami azonban nem egységesen érintette az egyes településeket. Jelen cikk egy hosszabb kutatás eredményeit mutatja be, amely az eltérő településfejlődés számos lehetséges oka közül az önkormányzatok szerepére, a településvezetők cselekvési lehetőségeire fókuszált. A kutatás négy kiválasztott agglomerációs település esettanulmány-szerű feldolgozásával igyekezett bepillantást nyújtani az önkormányzatok világába, a döntéshozók mozgásterébe, stratégiáiba. A vizsgálat eredménye szerint a települések döntéshozóinak fontos szerepük volt a szuburbanizációs folyamatok helyi alakulásában, hatásában.

Baseline Survey of Smallholder Fish Farming Enterprise in Moro Local Government, Nigeria

Fish farming could improve livelihood of rural people and enhance community development. This study, thus, investigated engagement and interest of rural people in fisheries activities in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State. 120 questionnaires, which were validated by three co-lecturers and with reliability co-efficient of 0.70, were randomly administered in three selected villages. Response was received from 102 people and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that about 60% of the respondents, most of which were married, earned monthly income ≤ N18, 000.00. Only 30.4% were engaged in fisheries activities such as fish hunting, fish processing and marketing, of which 2.0% were engaged in fish farming. 96 respondents indicated their interest in fisheries activities out of which 93.8% were willing to engage in fish farming. Lack of technical skills and capital were the main constraints to fish farming by these people. Training on fish farming techniques as well as access to credit facilities of the rural people was recommended. Fish farming could serve as means of employment and income generation resulting to poverty alleviation among the rural people. Keywords: engagement, fish farming, interest, poverty alleviation, rural people