What impact does the integrated multidisciplinary community development (IMCD) approach have on poverty reduction? The ‘Sahakarya’ (‘working together’) project was implemented in conflict-affected Nepal to support rural economic activities. It integrates community health and income generating activities with the institutionalisation of community based organisations (CBOs). This Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) paper evaluates the project. It concludes that the growth of specialised CBOs is interlinked and provides an efficient mechanism for service delivery at community level.
Sahakarya supports the development of specialised CBOs. The CBO-driven model of economic development is based on the principle that the CBOs are interrelated. In order to understand the contribution of these organisations to farm income, their interactive relations are analysed. In rural economies, the contribution of CBOs to community development is reflected in better living conditions among farming families. The IMCD model’s success is therefore measured by the income made by producer groups.
There are four sectors in the multidisciplinary model: producers’ groups (PGs); savings and credit organisations (SCOs); forest users’ groups (FUGs); and health CBOs. In the Sahakarya model all four types of CBO are usually formed in each village, with different members of each household being members of different CBOs:
- Single-purpose CBOs tend to be more effective than multipurpose organisations. Each CBO is structured and managed according to purpose.
- CBOs strengthen civil society through the participation of women and disadvantaged groups and increased interaction with local authorities. They are also federated into district and national bodies, facilitating links with policy makers and market operators.
- Gender equality and social inclusion have been integrated as cross-cutting themes. This involves programmes for the landless and a sharing costs policy to support the very poor.
- The major binding force of the interrelationship among the CBOs is the need to develop human capital. Health and economic activities are integrated to ensure sustainability as demand for health CBOs increases with economic development.
- The CBOs are interrelated. For example: income earned by PGs is deposited in SCOs, which provide credit services to members; income accrued in FUGs is used to improve irrigation and other inputs, through which PGs increase their income.
- Factors that contribute to farm income at community level include: number of milking animals; PG members growing vegetables; membership of SCOs; and the number of women involved in marketing and decision making.
The following lessons are drawn from the IMCD model presented in this paper:
- Since the CBOs are interrelated, the development approach needs to be multidisciplinary.
- When more economic activities are undertaken, the participation of women in CBOs increases. Increased women’s participation in decision making and marketing contributes to achieving gender equality.
- Increased farm income reduces communities’ reliance on the community forest, contributing to forest conservation.
- Subsistence farming may be transformed to market oriented production through production of high value commodities like vegetables and milk.
- Rural finance services offered by savings and credit organisations create opportunities to increase economic activities and raise income.
- The IMCD model is replicable in rural communities in general. It is also applicable in conflict environments.
