It is neither a manual nor a recipe, but rather a set of tools that are presented with examples and in simple language, to make it easier to apply and adapt them to the actual conditions and experiences of rural communities.

The eighth edition of the book “80 herramientas para el desarrollo participativo” has just been published. This guide for rural leaders and professionals involved in rural development is designed to facilitate participatory processes for collective actions and solutions to rural problems.

During the activity held to launch the book, Byron Miranda, the Representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Costa Rica, said, “Few documents in recent years have offered a set of tools in a simple format like this one. Easy to use and presented in the form of a toolbox, people can dip into the guide whenever they have a specific need.”

Miranda added that the eight editions published so far and the more than 15,000 copies sold show how well this publication has been received, including an English-language version.

The publication was produced by the regional project “Sustainable Agricultural Production on Hillsides in Central America, IICA-Holanda/LADERAS,” implemented by IICA in Honduras and El Salvador from 1995-2002 with support from the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands. The book was one of the tools produced to promote the social management of selected territories.

The book begins with an introduction on the concept of participation: its definition, the general characteristics of participatory methods and the changes in work practices needed to achieve true dialogue with the community.

Its ten chapters deal with dialogue, observation and group dynamic techniques; participatory assessments (social aspects, natural resource management, production systems, animal production, gender aspects and aspects of communication and extension); analyses of problems and solutions; and, participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Miranda believes that participatory processes make it possible for different social actors in a given rural territory to undertake joint activities that harmonize their various interests (economic, social, environmental) and achieve the integrated vision necessary for the sustainable development of their communities.

The book costs US$10 and is available for purchase from the IICA Office in Costa Rica. It can also be downloaded at http://webiica.iica.ac.cr/bibliotecas/RepIICA/B1013I/B1013I.pdf