1.
Community-based
ParticipatoryResearch&
SustainableRural
Development
Cody Alba
University of Guelph
EDRD 6000: Qualitative Analysis

2.
Goal
To engage with rural communities in the
implementation of development projects through
community-based participatory research (CBPR) to
achieve sustainable rural development.

3.
What is
Community-
based
participatory
research
(CBPR)?
 CBPR: applied research approach/framework that involves all
stakeholders throughout the entire research process
 Research question
 Data collection method
 Analysis
 Findings
 Addresses community social concerns through engagement
 Changes the roles of researcher and subjects being researched
1. Community-based: grounded in the needs, issues, concerns and
strategies of the community
2. Participatory: direct engagement with community and
community knowledge contributes to the research process
3. Action based and oriented: supports the strategic actions
leading to social change at the community level

4.
Sustainable
Rural
Development
 Vital to the economic, social and environmental viability of nations
Involves:
1. Improving the welfare of people living in rural communities
around the world (reducing the rural-urban gap)
2. Protecting and preserving natural, landscape and cultural
resources
3. Ensuring universal access to food with sustainable farming
production
 A healthy and dynamic agricultural sector is an important
foundation
 Participation of rural communities in the management of their
own social, economic and environmental objectives by
empowering people in rural areas

5.
How?
InitialConsiderations before proceeding with a project:
 Staff: time and capacity
 Money: costs and funding
 Data: access and security
 Equipment and tools (e.g. software)
 Partnerships & collaboration
 Expertise

6.
Challenges
• Stability of the research team
• Trust between scientific staff & community members
Partnership-related
• Limited application of data to other populations (needs,
resources and priorities are unique)
• Consistency across sites and democratic representation
• Aggregation of ethnicity within a community
Methodological issues
• Conflicts associated with differences in perspectives,
priorities, assumptions, values & beliefs
Social, political,
economic, institutional
and cultural issues
• Ownership and dissemination of data, findings and
publications
• Anonymity, privacy & confidentiality
Ethical issues

7.
Solutions to
overcome
barriers
•Establishment of defined roles for each member & specific rules of
operation
•Development of policies for the research project & guidance for
interventions and evaluations
Partnership-related
•Discussion of procedures during research design to highlight possible
emerging issues
•Regular meetings among research team to discuss procedures & methods
•Identifying sample population to ensure ethnicity is dis-aggregated
•Selecting the ethnic group that presents the most challenges
Methodological issues
•Identify core values and beliefs shared among members of the team
•Recognizing strengths of CBPR and each partner
•Development and clarification of (a) common mission statement(s) of the
research team
Social, political,
economic, institutional
and cultural issues
•Develop prior agreements relating to data ownership and publication
•Ensure a discussion of the understanding, awareness and explanations of
community risks and benefits and issues of anonymity, coercion and
voluntariness
Ethical issues

8.
Case study: Mezocsát Micro-
Region, Hungary
• Characterized by traditional management and farming practices and a special
economy and culture in the floodplains
• Dam constructions in the 1930s and 1970s, governmental functions taken
over by industries and monoculture agriculture lead to the loss of ecosystem
services, the basis for economic activities of local people
• Spiralling downward into a social and economic depression in 1990s
• CBPR process started in 2004:
• Applying qualitative research on economic valuation and natural
capital
• Understanding local perceptions and meanings of the historical
relationship between nature, society and economy
• ”Vision-to-Action” community forum organized to bring local community
members and decision-makers together to share visions and discuss possible
actions within the micro-region

9.
Summary
Questions
 Why is it important to implement CBPR with rural
communities?
 What are common challenges faced by CBPR?
 What are potential strategies for overcoming challenges
faced by CBPR?
 How can these steps be applied to a community in your
area?

10.
References
Armstrong,A. et. al. (2011).Community-Based Participatory Research: Ethical
Challenges. Centre for Social Justice and CommunityAction. Durham University.
p. 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/project-reports-and-
reviews/connected-communities/community-based-participatory-research-
ethical-challenges/
Bodorkós, B. & Paraki, G. (2009). Linking academic and local knowledge:
community-based research and service learning for sustainable rural
development in Hungary. Journal of Cleaner Production. 17(12): 1123-1131.
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652609000730
Burns, J.C., Cooke, D.Y &. Schweidler, M. C. (2011).A Short Guide to Community
Based Participatory Action Research. A Community Research Lab Guide. p. 1-17.
Retrieved from https://hc-v6-
static.s3.amazonaws.com/media/resources/tmp/cbpar.pdf
Holkup, P.A.,Tripp-Reimer,T. Salois, E.M. &Weinert, C. (2009).Community-
based Participatory Research:AnApproach to Intervention Research with a
Native American Community. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
27(3): 162-175. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2774214/
Shoultz, J. et. al. (2009). Finding solutions to challenges faced in community-
based participatory research between academic and community organizations.
Journal of Interprofessional Care. 20(2): 133-144. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13561820600577576?needAccess
=true
United Nations (2015). Decisions byTopic: Rural Development. Sustainable
Development Knowledge Platform. Retrieved from
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/ruraldevelopment/decisions