114
South. The term “participation” primarily refers to the active inclusion of dryland
inhabitants (e.g., community members) into processes that seek to improve their
lives. This inclusion is long overdue. The past has been characterized by too many
“top-down” efforts where little input is obtained from resource users or project beneficiaries. This situation has discounted the immense value from knowledge and
experiences of local people. Heavy reliance on top-down approaches has often led
to the wrong research questions being addressed, wasting of limited resources, loss
of valuable time, and lack of trust-building between communities and change
agents. The irony is that applied scientists, outreach agents, and policy makers
sincerely hope their work will lead to positive and practical impacts on humanity,
but the previous ways of working reduce the likelihood this will occur. Only by
embracing participatory approaches will such odds improve. The chapter begins
with a brief overview of participatory methods and how these have evolved over
time. The chapter concludes with some thoughts as to how participation might help
shape a new era of dryland science and stewardship.
Why does the science and stewardship of drylands in the Global South need to
change? The answer is simply that the inhabitants of drylands are being increasingly
marginalized and the sustainable use of dryland landscapes is increasingly under
threat (MEA 2005). The drylands are also becoming warmer and drier due to climate change (Huang et al. 2017). Dryland systems are thus ripe for destabilization
via increased resource competition, social conflict, and decline in traditional governance (Coppock et al. 2017). One scenario is that a rural exodus from the drylands
will occur, overburdening infrastructure elsewhere that is ill-equipped to cope.
Background of Participatory Thought and Methods
The Land-Grant Model in the US: Using Extension to Connect
Research with the Public
Public tertiary education in the United States of America (US) offers a template to
understand the historical interplay between research, outreach, and the public. This
template has evolved over the past 160 years. Current trends suggest that research
and outreach will become increasingly connected as universities strive to enhance
their relevance to society by addressing a growing diversity of issues. The landgrant university system in the US started in 1862 as a way to make college education
more accessible to American citizens.
1
Today there are over 100 land-grant schools,
and they embrace a mission focused on teaching, research, and extension (e.g., public outreach). The extension component was intended to connect applied research
with societal needs. Special attention was given to improving agriculture in rural
areas. The extension agent would identify problems with producers, and then serve
1 https://www.nap.edu/read/4980/chapter/2.
D. L. Coppock
South. The term “participation” primarily refers to the active inclusion of dryland
inhabitants (e.g., community members) into processes that seek to improve their
lives. This inclusion is long overdue. The past has been characterized by too many
“top-down” efforts where little input is obtained from resource users or project beneficiaries. This situation has discounted the immense value from knowledge and
experiences of local people. Heavy reliance on top-down approaches has often led
to the wrong research questions being addressed, wasting of limited resources, loss
of valuable time, and lack of trust-building between communities and change
agents. The irony is that applied scientists, outreach agents, and policy makers
sincerely hope their work will lead to positive and practical impacts on humanity,
but the previous ways of working reduce the likelihood this will occur. Only by
embracing participatory approaches will such odds improve. The chapter begins
with a brief overview of participatory methods and how these have evolved over
time. The chapter concludes with some thoughts as to how participation might help
shape a new era of dryland science and stewardship.
Why does the science and stewardship of drylands in the Global South need to
change? The answer is simply that the inhabitants of drylands are being increasingly
marginalized and the sustainable use of dryland landscapes is increasingly under
threat (MEA 2005). The drylands are also becoming warmer and drier due to climate change (Huang et al. 2017). Dryland systems are thus ripe for destabilization
via increased resource competition, social conflict, and decline in traditional governance (Coppock et al. 2017). One scenario is that a rural exodus from the drylands
will occur, overburdening infrastructure elsewhere that is ill-equipped to cope.
Background of Participatory Thought and Methods
The Land-Grant Model in the US: Using Extension to Connect
Research with the Public
Public tertiary education in the United States of America (US) offers a template to
understand the historical interplay between research, outreach, and the public. This
template has evolved over the past 160 years. Current trends suggest that research
and outreach will become increasingly connected as universities strive to enhance
their relevance to society by addressing a growing diversity of issues. The landgrant university system in the US started in 1862 as a way to make college education
more accessible to American citizens.
1
Today there are over 100 land-grant schools,
and they embrace a mission focused on teaching, research, and extension (e.g., public outreach). The extension component was intended to connect applied research
with societal needs. Special attention was given to improving agriculture in rural
areas. The extension agent would identify problems with producers, and then serve
1 https://www.nap.edu/read/4980/chapter/2.
D. L. Coppock