Access to Participation
Decision-Making About Livelihood Choices
Direct involvement in institutional processes that affect their livelihoods, such as determining the course of agricultural research, is crucial for poor farmers. Often, there is no route for their input, but that does not have to be so. The West African Rice Development Agency uses participatory methods to involve farmers in selecting which new rice varieties should be developed, thus giving poor farmers an opportunity to share information on their preferences and needs with rice breeders (Chapman et al. 2003:20).
Participation in Broader Policy Processes
In many poor countries, poor people have participated in broader development initiatives dealing with poverty and poverty reduction. Citizen participation has been part of the process of crafting national poverty-reduction strategies in several countries, such as Bolivia, Kenya, and Uganda. The poor have also participated in creating citywide strategies for poverty reduction in approximately 80 cities around the world, including Cali, Colombia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kampala,Uganda; and Haiphong, Vietnam (Narayan 2002:46, 70).
Citizen involvement is a central element in so-called
